Being in a single parent household has definitely had a big impact on the way I move and communicate with others. My mom had to work long hours as a barber, so I was usually in the house alone by myself. I was already a pretty quiet kid, but being that I had to learn how to cook and maintain myself at an early age, it made me value being autonomous and self-serving without having to ask for help constantly. My grandma was often left to be my guardian and number one supporter. It led to us not having the best relationship in our later years, as she got busier and more stressed when my little brother came into the picture. Even though we had our disagreements, she always expressed how proud she was of me in school. She confessed to me that she never had a strong support system with her parents either, meaning her grades weren’t the best, so she was willing to help me with writing papers so that in her words, “you could fly higher than I ever could.” I found my own escape and passion during those quiet hours at home through storytelling. I’ve always been captivated by video editing ever since I was a kid; I remember my uncle giving me a camcorder when I was 8, and I used to record my stuffed animals having adventures. I’d go everywhere with them, from my neighborhood pond, to the playground across our highway; anywhere that my little feet could go, I’d be there with a camera in hand. Today, I am actively using this passion to make a positive impact. I help others learn how to edit videos, as well as mix and master music.

I decided to draw the Brachiosaurus as my favorite dinosaur. The earliest memory I have of liking dinosaurs was when I watched Land Before Time as a child; my mom didn’t have cable, so she got me a bunch of DVDS that I played into oblivion. One of the kids movies I had played ads before the movie showed up, and one of those ads was a box DVD set for Land Before Time. In the promotion for the boxset, they introduced ‘Shorty’, a Brachiosaurus who’s very small for its species (hence the name). I remember always laughing when he was on screen because of how small Shorty was compared to all the other dinos. I feel like the Brachiosaurus fits perfectly with my personality as well; it’s a gentle giant dinosaur, so while we don’t know if they could truly be passive (I’d imagine if I was an animal of that size, I’d want to throw my weight around a little bit), since they’re herbivores, they wouldn’t have a reason to get wild unless they’re provoked. Like the Brachiosaurus, I prefer to navigate the world with a quiet, peaceful strength, only asserting myself when absolutely necessary. Dinosaurs are adjacent to dragons– another species that I love- but I feel like dragons are more on the epic and mythical side, whereas dinosaurs actually existed on the earth at some point. Drawing the Brachiosaurus free-hand allowed me to capture that sense of real-world wonder—a massive, awe-inspiring creature that brings me back to my youth. As a kid, I used to draw a lot of comics with animals like dragons, birds and dinosaurs and share with my friends. In present day, I usually draw digitally because I’m left handed and I don’t like how my hand smudges the sketchbook when I draw, but it was fun brushing off my traditional drawing skills after a few years.