Artist Statement
From an early age, I created fictional worlds and stories. Starting out, I inserted them into fiction that already existed. Eventually, I started making my own stories and worlds. I spend much of my time imagining and writing about elaborate fantasy worlds.
After my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I immersed myself more deeply in my art. It became my sole coping mechanism to process my emotions that I didn’t understand and couldn't say aloud. Though I had so little control over my real life, I could feel in charge by shaping my stories and characters into whatever I chose. I took back control of my life through escapism.
I aim to immerse viewers into my worlds through my characters, which is why my stories are character-driven. These stories often center around processing and coping with mental health issues such as anxiety and self-hatred, which are part of my own journey and my long, rocky process toward healing. I work on processing my struggles through my characters to reach people who feel similar to me. My characters help normalize these feelings for me, and my goal is to normalize them for others as well.
Lately, I have been experimenting with virtual reality to add another layer to my art. Using virtual reality, I invite my viewers to become immersed in my world on a whole new level, as if they are physically within my own reality.
