Art is a way for me to express my personality, inspire, and find peace, and I believe it's a way for the world to do the same. It's an authentic way to connect people and show the beautiful complexities and simplicities of life. We often miss the beauty of what’s right in front of us, and that’s part of the reason I love to make nature-inspired art. Even a tree that looks the same as all of the other ones that we pass by everyday holds so much beauty, and in art I’m able to draw attention to its wonder. I also enjoy bringing life into a routine-oriented society, and art provides that opportunity. I have always loved the outdoors, but I recently got into gardening and have enjoyed making garden-inspired art. A garden holds so much inspiration and beauty. I loved learning the different shaped leaves and the flowers that create each fruit. The practice itself is also one of hard work but also meditative gentleness and care. I wanted to embrace this emotion in a painting of my grandpa, a gardener, followed by my cousin. The image is very special to me, but it takes what may pass as a simple or meaningless moment to an observer and turns it into something beautiful. There’s also an incredible feeling of peace when creating art outside. Whether it’s sitting in the leaves or on a beach, it feels magical to transform what I’m looking at into a moment on paper. I turn the everyday world into an image through my eyes, inviting peace and joy into the heart of the viewer. No matter how many times I’ve seen a place, there is always beauty to find, always art to create.