The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed on me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I'm unable to meet their eyes. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. I felt I could never fit in. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could not express verbally. Using art, I gave life to new characters, and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. With my art, I hope to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I am. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable to others that view them. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, and the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. As an artist, I give faces to their fights. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. As an artist, I give faces to their fights. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. As an artist, I give faces to their fights. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. As an artist, I give faces to their fights. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found and continue to find comfort.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. As an artist, I give faces to their fights. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. As an artist, I give faces to their fights. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. My personal struggles with mental and emotional health have influenced my art which has served as a form of therapy for me. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. As an artist, I give faces to their fights. My art pieces are their portraits as much as mine. I would like them to know that they are not alone in their fights. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.

I find that I am most grateful for the life that I live when I am surrounded by the ones I love. My friends and my family remind me of how human I am, they remind me that it is alright to have bad days and I should not be afraid to find joy in the little things. I am thankful to them for they are not quick to judge me and encourage me to be true to myself despite pressure from society to conform to an image that does not reflect who I am and who I want to become. They remind me that I should love myself just as they love me and I am able to love everything because I love them. No material thing in this world could compare to the life I am able to live because of those who are close to me and for that, I am forever grateful.

The widened eyes of the kids in the classroom were fixed at me. They hadn’t seen anyone like me before. I, unable to meet with their eyes, was looking down at my hands. It was my first day at the new school. I was 8, and the only African American in that school, with the exception of my siblings. My distinctive appearance that drew much attention on the first day made any attention dissipate quickly. On the second day, I became invisible. I felt I could never fit in. It was impossible to talk about this to anyone because I thought no one in the world would understand me. I was a young black girl who was an alien in her own world. It was hard to express this to anyone because I felt like no one would understand me. I then became addicted to creating artwork that portrayed emotions that I could never express verbally. Producing art became such a freeing feeling, and I could not resist taking every free second of my day to bring my visions to life using a piece of paper and a pencil. Using art, I gave life to new characters and worlds that roamed around in my head and those characters depicted young black girls like me. I was finally able to see people that looked like me in my art and that is how I found comfort. Once in high school, I started taking art classes. And what I learned there amazed me; Learning elements and principles such as value, form, and color completely changed how I drew and viewed art and the world. I started applying it at home and began to see development in not only my drawing skills but my artistic voice and what I wanted people to see in my art. Being able to do this was like a breath of fresh air. I discovered that I love to experiment with color and use colors in different ways to render form while also showing a variety of emotions. Art was always a form of therapy for me as it was able to show the words that I could not express adequately. I have had personal struggles with mental and emotional health that have led me to become an artist. My pieces explore feelings of depression, anxiety, and other turbulent emotions that I have experienced daily. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. By working on portraits, I’ve met young black women who look just like me. By giving them faces, I allow people to see and empathize with them. Countless people have expressed to me how my works have touched them and how they can relate to the emotions I express. Art has given me a voice that my younger self did not have. I now meet and talk to the world that once pushed me away. It is listening to me now. I tell it who I am, I tell it who we are. Art is my voice. The same can be said for others in the visual and performing arts world, without art they would never be able to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas and transform society for the better. Art is integral.

1. Because I'm rich. 2. To become a professional vampire that lives in a haunted castle scaring away any and all people that dare to enter my domain. 3. I was the best leap frogger on the playground in elementary school.

Eyes stare off into the distance coated with fear as bloodied teeth tear away at fleshy skin ripping bone away from its joint spilling blood onto shaky hands as a consequence. This piece is my way of recognizing and coping with my anxiety. I've had anxiety since I was a child and have gone untreated for it for several years now which in turn has caused it to worsen which has caused me a great deal of struggle now in my senior year of high school. Social anxiety, vocalizing emotions, and managing stress had always been a struggle for me and this had caused me to feel isolated and alone. My loneliness led to feelings of sadness and exhaustion. So, I began creating pieces centered around my anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness and exaggerated those feelings through my artwork so people can truly see just how uncomfortably terrifying it really is to experience these emotions. I wanted to explore how I can use colors in a way that would render form while also incorporating stronger contrast. The thematic tone changed depicting darker emotions as I shifted my color choices to cooler darker colors such as purples, blues, and red violets. As I continue my artistic development, I would like my pieces to show the emotions I am trying to depict in powerful ways through color, form, and contrast. My mission as an artist is to give exposure to the mental conditions of individuals who are fighting the same struggle as I. As much as my pieces are about my struggles they are all centered around emotions I have found to be universal and relatable with others that view them. By creating portraits, I would like to give them a chance to be the center of attention, the focal point of perspective, the sense of fitting in without fear, in my art.