Creativity is to be able to take an idea that only exists in the mind and transcribe it into something tangible. It’s a beautiful ability to create feelings and expressions that resonate with its creator. You as an artist have control when it comes to creativity. You can make anything and everything you want with all the tools at your fingertips. The concept of creativity is the connecting points from the mind and spirit to the body with the threshold to bring something that has never been seen before to the table. Being able to tap into one's intuition to construct something out of the ordinary is truly an alluring talent. For me, creativity means being able to unwind and get my emotions straight while also producing a physical product of it. I create through my joys and pains. Creating allows me to have a stronger sense of self whilst feeling untethered from the mundane or exasperating things in life. Being able to fabricate something that my mind generates is almost psychologically satisfying to me. With almost everything I’ve made, no one taught me how to do it and no one criticized me if I was doing it right or not, I just knew it felt good. I can express myself in any way I want to. I can escape reality into my own world and do it freely. Creativity allows me to learn. The concept of creating allows for fresh ways of thinking and even seeing the same ideas from different perspectives. Sometimes, in my everyday life, creativity helps me solve problems. I can come up with unique, outside-of-the-box theories. Creativity also allows me to inspire. Whether that be me or someone else, I want the fruits of my work to make people think, to ask questions. In the past, I have looked at some of my old creations and have been inspired to revisit that idea or mold that idea into something more powerful. Maybe I can discover a wild new idea that I may have not known I could conjure up until I felt inspired. Inspiration is the start of something great, and creativity only stems further from there. Most importantly, creativity, if anything, is an extension of myself. All of my pieces have some sort of narrative or sentiment attached. I feel as if any of my creations are a small part of me. Tiny fragments of me as an individual are revealed through my mediums of art and photography, specifically my paintings. I take so much pride in what I make because it’s a part of who I am that I can share with others that I can’t share through words. I find it fascinating that creativity is simply a mindset and not concrete but nevertheless is extremely important in my life.

A single bug bite in a 3rd world country changed the course of my life. My family took a trip to the Philippines in 2016 to visit my dad's family. I was 13 at the time and struggling to gain weight, resting at about 63 pounds. Now looking back I realize how abnormal that was, but many people, including doctors, chalked it up to my having a fast metabolism and said I would gain weight eventually. Things took a turn for the worse after I woke up with a bug bite on my hand 4 days prior to heading home. I didn’t think much of it at first. It wasn’t until I came down with an intense fever and failed to walk up the stairs because I couldn’t feel my legs that everyone realized something was wrong. Those last few days were extremely scary and confusing. I couldn’t breathe very well and everything ached. Luckily my grandmother is a doctor and was able to give me medication to lower the fever and reduce the aches enough for me to fly home. It was a few months later when I got home that I was diagnosed with MCTD, Mixed connective tissue disorder, which is an autoimmune condition under the umbrella of lupus, along with rheumatoid arthritis in my hands. It took many tear-jerking blood draws and exotic disease tests to come to this life-changing diagnosis. I was instantly put on 3 different medications and struggled with insomnia, major mood swings, and a puffy face from one of the steroids. That first week alone was a struggle; I was just diagnosed with an incurable disease, put on medication that had terrible effects, and had to learn to take pills for the first time. I often got sick from the immune-suppressing medication so I had to find ways to keep myself entertained and eventually dove into my passion for photography. I have always loved taking pictures even from a young age. Whenever I had a flare-up I would sit in bed and edit my photos because it was one of the few things I could do that I loved. High school was when I realized that photography was something I could pursue and turn into a business. Since my only practice when I would stay at home were portraits of my sister in our backyard, I was ready to expand my portfolio. I started doing photoshoots for family and friends and enjoyed it. I opened an Instagram account and got more clients through there. The beauty of being a photographer is that if I have a good day, I can go and do photoshoots that are only a few hours long. If I have a flare-up or have to go to one of my many doctor appointments, I can still get work done by editing photos and online busy work. Having MCTD has been a considerable hurdle in my life but after living with it for 6 years I have been able to find that balance of being able to do what I love but also rest when I need it. I have overcome the obstacles of burnout and have learned to be kinder to myself. The struggles of having an autoimmune condition have opened my eyes and I feel empathy towards others' struggles and try to provide people with happiness, especially with my passion for photography. I have realized my life does not have to stop because of my condition and it does not define me and my ability to chase my passion. Morgan Bajoyo