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• 1 2026-04-20T00:07:14+00:00 Strands of Love 9 the actual Project and Process plain 2026-04-20T00:55:28+00:00

  
  
  
  This piece is titled “Strands of Love”, it is inspired by Dakota Warren’s 2024 piece titled “To Love is to Take”. While her piece inspired me I think that the difference in the titles alone should make it obvious that we had different theses. Rather than taking the stance that I was ‘taking’ it felt more like I was trusted enough for my friends to willingly volunteer these materials.
  
  
  
  
  Artist Statement: 
  
  Everything I do comes down to love. My writing, my morals and the way I move through the world. It is my guiding force. We are living in uncertain times, people are angry, I know I am. We are in an era where connection and communication is the most accessible it has ever been and yet everyone I know is lonely. People are scared; scared of the future, scared of being ridiculed for being vulnerable and expressing their feelings. So they shut the world out as a way of self preservation. Our society is so focused on individualism that we have lost community. People are so worried about how they are perceived that they hide anything that makes them unique. I truly believe now more than ever we need to be standing together, no one can live in the current climate alone, not a life that’s fulfilling at least. Connection and community are what make us human. I really wanted this piece to be a visual representation of the love I have for my friends, I’m going to keep saying it. I would have rather loved and lost than not have loved at all. I will never be ashamed or embarrassed of my feelings. I would rather take a risk and fail than wonder about what could have been for the rest of my life. People so desperately crave intimate relationships whether that be platonic or romantic, but everyone is scared of doing something embarrassing. Be Embarrassing! That’s part of life, being vulnerable is the only way to create a meaningful connection with someone. One of you has to open up first, our emotions and our life experiences are what make us special. We aren’t machines, humans aren’t perfect and they make mistakes but I try to give grace. Celebrate the mistakes as well as the successes, it is how we learn to do better. No one knows what they’re doing, everyone is as lost and scared as you are so don’t be afraid to make the first move, start the movement and others will follow. 

• 1 2026-04-20T00:54:45+00:00 Blurbs on my lovely participants 3 plain 2026-04-20T04:41:29+00:00

   

   

   

   

  Leah (Top right)- I first met Leah in the ninth grade. I thought she was so cool. We had a rocky beginning but now I cannot imagine how I would survive without her. She knows me better than I know myself. The piece of hair she gifted me features a strand of hot pink hair tinsel. I collected hers and Ella's the night before we went roller skating for Ella’s 21st birthday. They are staples in my life, people who have seen me at my worst and still see the best in me always. I've written her countless love letters, she is my muse; my driving force to lead with love. She has let me put my walls down and allow myself to be soft and vulnerable without fear. She makes me want to be better. Encouraging my passions and believing in me when even I can't. 

  Tasha (top middle)- I met her last semester along with Frankie, she is such a smart person and I love listening to her speak about her passions and her ideas because they are often so different from my own. We are both sensitive people who feel things very deeply so it is really nice to have a friend who is on the same level as I am. We can be emotional wrecks together. 

  Emma (Top Left) - I met Emma this semester as well, in this very class. She’s one of the coolest people ever and I am sad I didn’t meet her earlier in life as we are so similar. It felt like there has been a mutual understanding since the moment we spoke to each other, we are on the same page about nearly everything and after spending a very wild Saint Patricks day together our friendship has been cemented. Seeing each other in such a disastrous state so early on into our relationship sealed the deal for a long and fruitful friendship, there is nowhere to go but up. She is kind and understanding and so beautiful. She cares deeply about the world around her and is not afraid of expressing her interests and being passionate, a trait that we need more of in the world. She even helped me pick out the frame that I used for the piece. 
   

  Ella (Bottom left) - I've known Ella for over half my life. I don’t remember life before her. We met in the third grade. She is one of the strongest people I know, she has experienced stuff that no one should be subjected to, let alone when they are so young. But she survived and learned how to thrive. She is so intelligent, she’s incredibly witty and a true ride or die. She is a giver, always creating art. A true active listener she remembers facts about me that even I don’t recall. Holly (bottom middle)- I met Holly this semester, she is an exchange student from Scotland. She’s hilarious and I’m dreading the day she leaves but I truly believe that life will bring us back together. She has an awesome tattoo of a fish smoking a joint so you know she’s cool. 

  Frankie (Bottom right) - I met her last semester and we quickly became friends, she has such a welcoming energy that has an instant calming effect when you’re in her radius. She is always kind and understanding, encouraging through small smiles and glances that ensure you don't feel excluded. She is going on exchange to Ireland next year for both semesters and as happy as I am for her, I am very disappointed we won't get to hangout or go to the movies. 

  
  
   

  I will end this off by saying that Last year was incredibly hard for me, I had to drop out of second year due to extreme health problems and it was awful. I was in near constant pain and it felt like everyone was moving on while I was stuck in my childhood bedroom sick. But Ella and Leah stuck with me through it all, they took care of me and visited me in the hospital. They learned about my diagnosis so they could better understand how to help. I met all these amazing people this year because I had to restart year two. I felt like I was doomed but now I know I was actually blessed. I’ve made so many amazing friends and connections that wouldn’t have been possible so maybe this was fate, but either way it showed me that oftentimes life has a funny way of sorting itself out. I have such a deeper appreciation for life and the people around me because of my suffering and I think that experience was part of the reason I wanted to create this project. To express my gratitude and love while I’m here because you never know what tomorrow can bring.