My favorite piece in my portfolio is the one titled "Mi Bodegón," which translates to "My Still Life" in Spanish. Out of all the work I made this year, this piece stands out because it holds the most meaning as it is an attempt to explain the layers that make up who I am even if I don’t really know what that entirely means yet. I made this piece as part of my AP Art portfolio where I focused on the theme of healing. Each of my previous pieces came easy, each had a clear remedy, easily written explanation, and organized documented steps that made it easy to talk about what I was trying to say. But “Mi Bodegón” was different. It was the only piece that made me feel like I didn’t know how to explain myself. Even though I had taken photos of my process, sketched ideas, and thought about it over and over, when it came time to put it into words, I froze. The painting and every part of it had flowed out of me so unconsciously that the only thing I was sure about was its key points. That the inspiration came from the necklaces gifted to my sisters and I from my grandparents, with the overall theme being how heirlooms are a way to heal from loss. While the other paintings in the portfolio all dealt with my culture and personal experiences with herbal and medicinal remedies. For this one I had unintentionally created something that made me reflect on my relationship with my Hispanic roots, my family, and the religion I grew up with. But instead of giving me answers, it raised more questions. The title took weeks. Originally given the name “Praying to God that You Believe” I reflected on my religious views during ax time where I was thrust into the community due to the loss of my grandfather. My heart necklace, the only one without a Catholic figure, sits in the middle of it all while in the reflection of the gold you see the church where both my grandparents' funerals were held. Time after time I tried to come up with a title. I tried to give it something poetic, something clever, something meaningful. It wasn’t until my father offered a suggestion that finally the name, “Mi Bodegón” made sense. I don’t answer on how I view the world, of my belief in God, of I’m Hispanic enough, Peruvian enough. I don’t know but it’s my life. And so this painting is a still life. A personal one of a portrait of objects and symbols that mean something only a deep part of my soul can decode. And that’s ok. I think that’s why it’s my favorite. It’s red, elaborate and raw. It’s honest, even if that honesty is confusing or hard to explain. It made me realize that healing doesn’t always look like a finished story with a happy ending. Sometimes, healing is about sitting in the middle and finding the beauty in it. Creating “Mi Bodegón” reminded me that art doesn’t have to be loud to be clear. It can whisper. It can be a question. It can just be. And in that still space, it can still speak volumes. That’s why this piece means so much to me. It helped me grow not just as an artist, but as a person trying to understand their place in the world.