"Mika Ninagawa's Diner"

Mixed Media

2022

Hello, everyone: the podcast is HERE!

I was fortunate enough to sit down and have a chat with the fabulous Anum Farooq about my work, my life, and all of the ups and downs of the creative process.

I am also forever grateful for the opportunity to discuss my personal experience with mental health, particularly how my psychiatric hospitalization as a teenager helped me pick up my sketchbook and start creating. It is my hope that having these kinds of vulnerable conversations can lead to more acceptance, less shame, and a better understanding of how our actions can effect one another—for better or worse.

...But it's not all heavy stuff! We also talk about color. Contrast. Creation. I am very embarrassing about my love of Francis Bacon, and I get sentimental about the many people who have, as I saw written somewhere I can't quite recall, "loved me into existence."

So, if you like, give us a listen!

(Also available on Amazon)

"Hatter" from Alice in Borderland (2020)

[Image ID: quote in blue text on a white background. The quote reads, "I believe that at the end of the day every painting an artist creates is a self-portrait as you can't erase the little bits of the artist that are left in the work." The quote is credited to Molly Goehring. /. End ID.]

A Whole Big Mess

Digital Collage

2022

very scary and exciting to have my first big one-on-one podcast interview drop tomorrow. it's the first time I've spoken about my mental health crisis as a teenager in public (let alone private) so this is a very vulnerable and important moment for me.

i'll post links on all my socials when it goes live 💕

Sunsick and Moonbright on display

Almost there........

Something Else

2021

Good news: my Artist's talk went well!

I was so worried that I wasn't going to have enough to say to fill the time, but I actually had to cut a few things short! I was lucky to have a group of very polite students as an audience, and I think the little self-portrait activity I did with them went over well.

It was kind of strange—I didn't realize I was so affected by my disability until I started actually talking about it. I hope I didn't bore them by going on about it, but it really is a major part of my art and my life. Maybe because I live it every day and try to "work through it" or just ignore it altogether, but I found myself surprised at how much being chronically ill amd undiagnosed has shaped me. I think it was good for me to openly admit that I am struggling from a day-to-day basis because of my health. It was validating in a way I didn't know I needed before.

Thank you to everyone for being so supportive—I am surrounded by wonderful people, and I'm very fortunate to have you here rooting me on.

PS: Here's my #girlboss look of the day

Also, I was feeling stupidly confident about this one, she's still a work in progress though

New direction? Sort of?