This was a project I made when given the assignment of creating an idiom with chalk pastels. This is a common idiom that I have used to describe the way I feel when I am anxiously excited about something, and I wanted the butterflies to look pretty; not anxious and terrified. This art piece shows wit and humor because it expresses a literal interpretation of a well-known saying. Firstly, a vast majority of my art tends to be serious, and I typically put personal meaning into each piece. This particular work stands out to me not because it is one of my technically and artistically best pieces, but because it feels light and not so gut-wrenching. I often notice I stray from bright colors and bold contrast throughout my portfolio, but I think my choice to utilize so much color makes the drawing pop. I have not grasped my art style up until recently, and I've found that I gravitate towards mixed media by using paint, tape, metal, any small objects, and lots of messy ripped things. This art project falls far from that category and has helped me expand my horizons by giving me the ability to practice technical skills. Any art project experiementation can aid your craft in other art forms as well, and using chalk pastels inspired me to create art like this again with a new understanding of what my art can look like. Despite this drawing's lack of challenge toward beliefs, calls to change, or storytelling I had a lot of fun working on it, and I can appreciate the simplicity in the completed piece. My art can begin to feel too heavy to display around my room, or something too hard to show others, and "Butterflies In my Stomach" is a project everyone seems to painlessly accept. I believe art is a great way for people to express themselves and convey hardships they can't let out with words. I personally use art as my outlet, and at times it can be hard for me to accept art I have deemed meaningless, but everything has a meaning to someone (Though I must admit I despise AI-generated art for stripping artists from their well-earned fortune). In addition, art is perceived by everyone differently creating an audience for anything you can think of. The art piece "Butterflies In my Stomach" displays wit and humor because it was simply fun to make, and it's easy to digest.

My mom scoured the internet for the perfect dog that was up for adoption until she came across a scrappy-looking chihuahua mix named Yoda. His background information on the website said he was heartworm-positive and underweight, and everything else was unknown. The woman who found him abandoned outside her house is named Tracy, and she has made endless sacrifices for dogs. She converted her property into a sanctuary for fighting dogs in recovery. Tracy’s home is not somewhere you would expect to find such a defenseless chihuahua, but she knew he needed help. Our family fell in love with his small stature and smile in the only picture available of him and made plans to meet him. When I saw how much Tracy gave to her dogs I did not understand, but now it makes perfect sense. This was my first dog, and I had no idea how much a dog could become woven through a family and suddenly become the center of attention and conversation. We settled on changing his name to Frank, and within the first months of having him, he was successfully treated for heartworm and transformed into an entirely new dog full of life. I understood our relationship with our family dog was different than other families. Frank is more than just a dog, he is a family member. He has a seat at the table when we eat family meals, and goes wherever he can with us. The thing that makes this relationship so unexpected is how flawed Frank often is. He does not like young kids or anyone who wants to run around and play. Frank is scared of many things like a small fork that fell to the ground or a piece of paper being set next to him. We have to monitor him around friends and extended family because he is a reactive dog and gets overwhelmed easily. Our dog gets very protective over his favorite toys or his favorite person who is my mom. Despite any of his issues, frank causes our entire family to make endless sacrifices out of love for him. We have no idea how he lived before our family so we treat him with lots of patience and second chances. Frank has taught me a lot about making adjustments in my life to help make other people happier. One thing frank cannot stand is phone notifications or alarms, although we have no idea why he begins to shake and pant when he hears a phone noise we all have our phones silenced. I hate going for walks in Michigan winter, but for Frank, I put on my coat and dress him in a sweater for his daily walks. I always make sure to save my last bite of toast for him, and I can’t imagine a world without him there to watch me make food and patrol the floor for any spills. Frank has taught me so much about love and how to care that I would not have learned any other way.

I was diagnosed with both Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and Idiopathic Hypersonmina when I was around twelve years old. Before any diagnosis, I lived in a state of confusion and pain and felt my discomforts were dismissed. I struggled with joint pain, severe fatigue, and irritability. My symptoms created mental health issues that added to the ongoing list of concerns. My conditions affected just about every aspect of my life, and I felt significantly limited when approaching my future. The most life-altering time of my medical journey was getting an arthritis diagnosis because my pain no longer felt imagined. Once my doctors placed the puzzle pieces of symptoms together I finally had options. I have learned to cope with my body and the ways it often sabotages me by taking medications, doing physical therapy, and listening to my body. A phrase I often hear when I talk about my physical health and other issues they have caused is, “I don’t know how I could live with that.” Often my reality is a nightmare to others, and society has tried to tell me how to feel about my condition. My sleep disorder is not an autoimmune disease, but I knew someone else with it who lived off of disability and was unable to graduate high school. I felt my health would trap me in a similar situation until I decided I am not the problem, but our world is. In my opinion, disabilities are not an individual’s misfortune, and should not be suffocatingly limiting. We live in a society focused on productivity and it is very normal to sacrifice ones well being and dreams. I live with a disease that is not as limiting as others, and I feel passionate about making our world more accommodating for all. Without an autoimmune disease, I would not have found these injustices or the passion for a change it gifted me. My mental and physical health also created a passion for art, specifically tattooing. I was told tattooing and doing art for extended periods was something I would not be capable of, and that only encouraged me more. The art of tattooing utilizes physical pain and art while creating something beautiful that connects you to your body. My autoimmune disease has made me hate my body at times and being able to place art on it that fosters love and inspires me is crucial to dealing with my health. Many people want tattoos that represent the pain they have overcome, and because of my life experiences, I am good at placing emotions into art and feeling sympathy for others. My body and the trauma it has put me through sparked a creative way to cope and led me to a career path I feel hopeful about, therefore I have learned to be thankful for all my body has done for me.

Mental Illness has infiltrated and altered many areas of my life. I have watched many people around me battle with their mental health, and sadly I have witnessed peers lose their life to severe mental illness. Physical health disorders and chronic pain caused a majority of my mental health issues, but the most significant cause in recent years was being sexually assaulted. Traumatic events like that can have varying effects on people, and mine seemed to be related to having control or a lack of control over my life and body. I lost all confidence in myself and this caused me to doubt my beliefs, relationships, academic abilities, and more. Although struggling mentally has also helped me to move in a more empathetic manner, and it has given me a more open mind. I have struggled with depression, anxiety, and physical pain caused by extreme stress. Without a solid support network and healthy habits, I question if I would have been able to make it this far. Finding people who could relate to me and attentively listen helped me understand myself better and form the beliefs I have today. These positive influences encouraged me to be a person who others can confide in, and set a principal to live my life around. Art was another way I coped and created a safe space for myself. I was privileged enough to have an amazing art teacher who encouraged me to always utilize art. I found new music, ways to draw or paint, and a new fashion style. I discovered that creating art projects made me proud of myself, an emotion that is critical to recovering from mental illness. Watching yourself or someone you love improve is inspiring, and it created a need in my life to combine that feeling with art. Since middle school, I was adamant my future would involve art in some way, but mental illness clouded my ability to imagine my future. Many parts of me never believed I would make it this far, and now I have found a passion and I am on a path to make it happen. Sometimes mental illnesses feel stronger than anything I can do to help those suffering, but one of the things I feel passionate about that can help is tattooing. I think tattooing is a healing art form that can help people feel control over their bodies and mind. My dream job is to be a tattoo artist, and tattoo survivors of sexual assault, cancer, self-harm, and other traumatic events. I want to make a difference in my community for individuals wanting tattoos by helping them reclaim their bodies, and create a safe environment for tattoo artists and clients. Having the opportunity to cover up scars, and put empowering art over your body has been proven to improve body image and confidence. Tattoos can serve as a reminder of overcoming a struggle or they could commemorate a lost loved one. Along with tattooing, I will continue to advocate for mental wellness and donate to mental health organizations when possible. Throughout my career, I intend to make an impact in individuals' lives and hopefully inspire them to reach for their dreams as well. I would have never found this career choice without the journeys art took me on, and without the motivation to heal fueling my creativity.

Mental Illness has infiltrated and altered many areas of my life. I have watched many people around me battle with their mental health, and sadly I have witnessed peers lose their life to severe mental illness. Physical health disorders and chronic pain caused a majority of my mental health issues, but the most significant cause in recent years was being sexually assaulted. Traumatic events like that can have varying effects on people, and mine seemed to be related to having control or a lack of control over my life and body. I lost all confidence in myself and this caused me to doubt my relationships, academic abilities, and more. Despite facing such a life-altering event, I tried to push it down and blame myself until I realized I would never feel okay until I acknowledged the pain and found a way to cope that worked for me. I have struggled with depression, anxiety, and physical pain caused by extreme stress. Without a solid support network and healthy habits, I question if I would have been able to make it this far. The people who could relate and attentively listened to me helped me understand myself better. These influences encouraged me to be a person who people can confide in. Art was another way I coped and created a safe space for myself. I found new music, ways to draw or paint, and a new fashion style. I discovered that creating art projects made me proud of myself, an emotion that is critical to recovering from mental illness. Watching yourself or someone you love improve is inspiring, and it created a need in my life to combine that feeling with art. Sometimes mental illnesses feel stronger than anything I can do to help those suffering, but one of the things I feel passionate about that can help is tattooing. Tattooing is a healing art form that can help people feel control over their bodies and mind. My dream job is to be a tattoo artist and tattoo the survivors of sexual assault, cancer, self-harm, and other traumatic events. I want to make a difference in my community for individuals wanting tattoos by helping them reclaim their bodies, and create a safe environment for tattoo artists and clients. Having the opportunity to cover up scars, and put empowering art over your body has been proven to improve body image and confidence. Tattoos can serve as a reminder of overcoming a struggle or they could commemorate a lost loved one. Along with tattooing, I will continue to advocate for mental wellness and donate to mental health organizations when possible. Throughout my career, I intend to make an impact in individuals' lives and hopefully inspire them to reach for their dreams as well.

Mental health is the foundation of ourselves and society; it is powerful enough to interact with all aspects of our lives. If the importance of maintaining a healthy mental state is overlooked there can be life-threatening consequences. Mental wellness is just as important as our physical health and has the same ability to impact how we feel about ourselves and the world around us. Many factors can affect our mental health including a traumatic event, biological reasons, family history, abuse, and more. Without the proper resources, coping mechanisms, and treatment the symptoms of poor mental health will continue to worsen. Mental health struggles can lead to a change in mood, energy, sleep, motivation, focus, and more serious issues like substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide. Sadly there is a stigma around getting help and a lack of resources for many people. I believe the most important part of keeping positive mental health is getting help when you need it. My mental health is very important to me because I deal with chronic pain and a sleep disorder. Without a positive outlook on life, it would become very hard for me to keep my physical pain under control. I also value my grades and academics which require mental wellness to maintain. One of my goals is to never sacrifice my mental state for school and to achieve that I need a solid foundation of mental wellness. My mental health has affected my family and friends, and this has held me accountable to reach out and get the help I need. Seeing progress in my health is a very motivating experience, but this does not mean I no longer have mental health problems to work on. I have dealt with quite a bit of mental health struggles, and I have learned the ways I cope and what helps me the most. Everyone needs different resources and finds peace in their way, so we must have opportunities for everyone to raise their mental well-being. For me just about any art form helps me boost my mood and cope with things like depression and anxiety. Anything from drawing, sculpture, music, theater, jewelry making, or fashion helps make each day a little easier. Sometimes something as simple as listening to music does enough to make things bearable. It is crucial to seek professional help when needed and always strive to have a balanced sleep schedule, support system, healthy diet, hobbies, goals, a good amount of sleep, and strong coping mechanisms. Doing anything for your mental health is better than doing nothing, and I have found that creating good habits helps maintain mental wellness even when things get hard.

Feminism is an ongoing fight to create a more equal world and encourage diversity around the globe. For me, feminism is having a sense of community full of people who have been through similar experiences. The feminist movement and the overlap it has with other social issues has been an inspiring battle for change, and I am proud to participate in it. One woman in my life who has taught me to believe in myself and encourages me to find justice is my aunt. Her name is Sarah, and she is a strong woman dedicated to helping others. My aunt works as a therapist and she never fails to see potential in everyone she meets. She is bold, speaks her mind, and is almost always laughing. I have learned countless life lessons from my aunt about feminism, but she also taught me the importance of reading and art. Sarah brought me to my first protest and cried alongside me as a black woman shared her life of inequalities. Sarah dropped me off at my first concert and commissioned my first art piece. The encouragement I receive from my aunt is unmatched and a trait I aspire to have. I often find myself feeling discouraged due to the backward beliefs within my school and community. I live and learn in an area with many closed-minded and conservative people. I spend my school days around peers who do not view trans women, black women, and nonbinary people as equals. I do not get to be loud about my sexuality without backlash. Many of my classmates must hide their identities and experiences to avoid being ostracized from our community. I attend the same school as the boy who assaulted both my best friend and me. Finding peace and justice for myself can feel very insignificant with all the other brokenness in the world, especially for BIPOC, trans people, and more. My ideas of justice also felt too extravagant when getting out of bed and eating became daily tasks after being assaulted. I never got legal justice for myself, so I had to start my healing process without it. I try to make a difference by listening, believing, and befriending other survivors while encouraging them to do the same. I want to be someone that others can safely talk to and heal with. My more negative experiences with womanhood left me with a passion to pursue tattooing. Art became one of the healthiest coping mechanisms I acquired, and I believed tattoos help people to take ownership of their bodies. I have fallen in love with being a woman again, and I hope my career allows others to do the same.