It all started with daydreaming. When I was bedridden I would daydream avidly for hours as an escape. Although my autoimmune disease has taken a lot from me, it’s also given me things too. When my body was an anchor, art became my life jacket. I learned to have an appreciation for it. As a little girl, I would watch cartoons for hours and wish to be the characters on screen. They became my heroes because they got me through hard times. The one that left the biggest impact on me was Raven from Teen Titans. She was studious, quiet, and courageous; but most of all she made me feel understood. Although Raven is a fictional character, she brought me so much strength throughout the challenges I’ve had to overcome. It was this experience that transformed me into an artist. I knew I wanted to create characters that inspired other people the way that Raven inspired me. Art allowed me to sail beyond the confines of my pain into a world brimming with limitless possibilities. A world I never would’ve discovered if it hadn't been for my disease. I started drawing because I wanted to turn my dreams into a reality, into something I could see. From there it blossomed into stories and at some point I realized that drawing wasn’t enough, so I started writing too. Though the physical pain that made me hyper-aware of every muscle in my body, it was when I was creating that I felt the most alive. I committed to practicing daily to improve my abilities. My sketchbook became a rabbit hole of different ideas, It was filled with everything from wayward princesses to aliens. I dabbled in different mediums: watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pastels, etc. However, it wasn’t until I discovered digital art, that I truly committed to my passion and realized I wanted to pursue art professionally. Unlike with traditional mediums there was no complicated set up, or a mess to clean up afterwards. My ipad allowed me to design, ink, and render characters with ease. This inspired me to draw more consistently and it helped me improve at an accelerated pace. At the age of twelve, I committed to my career goals and decided to dedicate myself entirely towards perfecting my art, as I aspired to be a professional character designer. Supported by my mom’s encouragement to sell my art, we went to several local art fairs where I sold prints of my characters. Additionally, after gaining recognition, I had my work featured in two gallery exhibitions. After this, I created a website to sell prints beyond my local area. My goal is to eventually write and illustrate my stories professionally. I love art because it allows me to turn my dreams and characters into something tangible and gives me the opportunity to connect with other people and empower them the way that I have been empowered.

It all started with daydreaming. When I was bedridden I would daydream avidly for hours as an escape. Although my autoimmune disease has taken a lot from me, it’s also given me things too. When my body was an anchor, art became my life jacket. I learned to have an appreciation for it. I would watch cartoons for hours and wish to be the characters on screen. They became my heroes because they got me through hard times. The one that left the biggest impact on me was Raven from Teen Titans. She was studious, quiet, and courageous; but most of all she made me feel understood. Although Raven is a fictional character, she brought me so much strength throughout the challenges I’ve had to overcome. It was this experience that transformed me into an artist. I knew I wanted to create characters that inspired other people the way that Raven inspired me. Art allowed me to sail beyond the confines of my pain into a world brimming with limitless possibilities. A world I never would’ve discovered if it hadn't been for my disease. I started drawing because I wanted to turn my dreams into a reality, into something I could see. From there it blossomed into stories and at some point I realized that drawing wasn’t enough, so I started writing too. Though the physical pain that made me hyper aware of every muscle in my body, it was when I was creating that I felt the most alive. I committed to practicing daily to improve my abilities. My sketchbook became a rabbit hole of different ideas, It was filled with everything from wayward princesses to aliens. I dabbled in different mediums: watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pastels, etc. However, it wasn’t until I discovered digital art, that I truly committed to my passion and realized I wanted to pursue art professionally. Unlike with traditional mediums there was no complicated set up, or a mess to clean up afterwards. My ipad allowed me to design, ink, and render characters with ease. This inspired me to draw more consistently and it helped me improve at an accelerated pace. At the age of twelve, I committed to my career goals and decided to dedicate myself entirely towards perfecting my art, as I aspired to be a professional character designer. Supported by my mom’s encouragement to sell my art, we went to several local art fairs where I sold prints of my characters. Additionally, after gaining recognition, I had my work featured in two gallery exhibitions. After this, my mom assisted me with creating my own website where I continue to sell prints of my characters. My goal is to eventually write and illustrate my own stories professionally. I love art because it allows me to turn my dreams and characters into something tangible and gives me the opportunity to connect with other people and empower them the way other characters have empowered me.

It all started with daydreaming. When I was bedridden I would daydream avidly for hours as an escape. Although my autoimmune disease has taken a lot from me, it’s also given me things too. When my body was an anchor, art became my life jacket. I learned to have an appreciation for it. I would read books and watch cartoons for hours, wishing to be the characters. They became my heroes because they got me through hard times. The one that left the biggest impact on me was Raven from Teen Titans. She was studious, quiet, and courageous; but most of all she made me feel understood. Although Raven is a fictional character, she brought me so much strength throughout the challenges I’ve had to overcome. It was this experience that transformed me into an artist. I knew I wanted to create characters that inspired other people the way that Raven inspired me. Art allowed me to sail beyond the confines of my pain into a world brimming with limitless possibilities. A world I never would’ve discovered if it hadn't been for my disease. I started drawing because I wanted to turn my dreams into a reality, into something I could see. From there it blossomed into stories and at some point I realized that drawing wasn’t enough, so I started writing too. Though the physical pain that made me hyper aware of every muscle in my body, it was when I was creating that I felt the most alive. I committed to practicing daily to improve my abilities. My sketchbook became a rabbit hole of different ideas, It was filled with everything from wayward princesses to aliens. I dabbled in different mediums: watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pastels, etc. However, it wasn’t until I discovered digital art, that I truly committed to my passion and realized I wanted to pursue art professionally. Unlike with traditional mediums there was no complicated set up, or a mess to clean up afterwards. My ipad allowed me to design, ink, and render characters with ease. This inspired me to draw more consistently and it helped me improve at an accelerated pace. At the age of twelve, I committed to my career goals and decided to dedicate myself entirely towards perfecting my art, as I aspired to be a professional character designer and author. Supported by my mom’s encouragement to sell my art, we went to several local art fairs where I sold prints of my characters. Additionally, after gaining recognition, I had my work featured in two gallery exhibitions. After this, my mom assisted me with creating my own website where I continue to sell prints of my characters. My goal is to eventually write and illustrate my own stories professionally. I love art because it allows me to turn my dreams and characters into something tangible and gives me the opportunity to connect with other people and empower them the way other characters have empowered me.

It all started with daydreaming. When I was bedridden I would daydream avidly for hours as an escape. Although my autoimmune disease has taken a lot from me, it’s also given me things too. When my body was an anchor, art became my life jacket. I learned to have an appreciation for it. I would watch cartoons for hours and wish to be the characters on screen. They became my heroes because they got me through hard times. The one that left the biggest impact on me was Raven from Teen Titans. She was studious, quiet, and courageous; but most of all she made me feel understood. Although Raven is a fictional character, she brought me so much strength throughout the challenges I’ve had to overcome. It was this experience that transformed me into an artist. I knew I wanted to create characters that inspired other people the way that Raven inspired me. Art allowed me to sail beyond the confines of my pain into a world brimming with limitless possibilities. A world I never would’ve discovered if it hadn't been for my disease. I started drawing because I wanted to turn my dreams into a reality, into something I could see. From there it blossomed into stories and at some point I realized that drawing wasn’t enough, so I started writing too. Though the physical pain that made me hyper aware of every muscle in my body, it was when I was creating that I felt the most alive. I committed to practicing daily to improve my abilities. My sketchbook became a rabbit hole of different ideas, It was filled with everything from wayward princesses to aliens. I dabbled in different mediums: watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pastels, etc. However, it wasn’t until I discovered digital art, that I truly committed to my passion and realized I wanted to pursue art professionally. Unlike with traditional mediums there was no complicated set up, or a mess to clean up afterwards. My ipad allowed me to design, ink, and render characters with ease. This inspired me to draw more consistently and it helped me improve at an accelerated pace. At the age of twelve, I committed to my career goals and decided to dedicate myself entirely towards perfecting my art, as I aspired to be a professional character designer. Supported by my mom’s encouragement to sell my art, we went to several local art fairs where I sold prints of my characters. Additionally, after gaining recognition, I had my work featured in two gallery exhibitions. After this, my mom assisted me with creating my own website where I continue to sell prints of my characters. My goal is to eventually write and illustrate my own stories professionally. I love art because it allows me to turn my dreams and characters into something tangible and gives me the opportunity to connect with other people and empower them the way other characters have empowered me.

It all started with daydreaming. When I was bedridden I would daydream avidly for hours as an escape. Although my autoimmune disease has taken a lot from me, it’s also given me things too. When my body was an anchor, art became my life jacket. I learned to have an appreciation for it. I would watch cartoons for hours and wish to be the characters on screen. They became my heroes because they got me through hard times. The one that left the biggest impact on me was Raven from Teen Titans. She was studious, quiet, and courageous; but most of all she made me feel understood. Although Raven is a fictional character, she brought me so much strength throughout the challenges I’ve had to overcome. It was this experience that transformed me into an artist. I knew I wanted to create characters that inspired other people the way that Raven inspired me. Art allowed me to sail beyond the confines of my pain into a world brimming with limitless possibilities. A world I never would’ve discovered if it hadn't been for my disease. I started drawing because I wanted to turn my dreams into a reality, into something I could see. From there it blossomed into stories and at some point, I realized that drawing wasn’t enough, so I started writing too. Though the physical pain made me hyper aware of every muscle in my body, it was when I was creating that I felt the most alive. I committed to practicing daily to improve my abilities. My sketchbook became a rabbit hole of different ideas, It was filled with everything from wayward princesses to aliens. I dabbled in different mediums: watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pastels, etc. However, it wasn’t until I discovered digital art, that I truly committed to my passion and realized I wanted to pursue art professionally. Unlike with traditional mediums there was no complicated set up, or a mess to clean up afterwards. My ipad allowed me to design, ink, and render characters with ease. This inspired me to draw more consistently and it helped me improve at an accelerated pace. At the age of twelve, I committed to my career goals and dedicated myself entirely to perfecting my art, as I aspired to be a professional character designer. Supported by my mom’s encouragement to sell my art, we went to several local art fairs where I sold prints of my characters. Additionally, after gaining recognition, I had my work featured in two gallery exhibitions. After this, my mom assisted me with creating my website where I continue to sell prints of my characters. My goal is to eventually write and illustrate my own stories professionally. I love art because it allows me to turn my dreams and characters into something tangible and gives me the opportunity to connect with other people and empower them the way other characters have empowered me.