Artist Statement

One Word at a Time

September 2022

Untouched white paper, a virgin to words and meaning, is where my voice echoes in timeless ecstasy. It is where everything is intentional; where I sink into my seat from the weight of my words and revive my spirits with the rhythm of the written. In a loud world, where even in silence I sometimes feel unheard, the blinking black bar on my computer screen welcomes my voice – uninterrupted.

I always had a loud, domineering voice that spoke from the heart, like my mom. But I never had a voice that spoke for my soul. The voice to my soul, the bridge from my innermost self to reality, was something I didn’t know was missing until I felt my chest cave into itself after years of loss and grief over father figures I was never allowed to keep for too long.

In 21 years, I've raked up an almost unreal amount of close-family deaths, from a father and a step-father to a brother, grandfather, and, shockingly, more. But that grief has put life into perspective and changed the way I live every day. My outlook on life, and in turn everything else I encounter, stems from an understanding of the despondent loneliness and darkness that comes from grief and emotional trauma. These parts of who I am, although involuntarily ingrained in me and my life, allowed me to see the worst of my own mind. Not returning to that place, or letting anyone else end up consumed by the worst of their mind, is what motivates me to make others feel less alone in their struggles.

Writing is my vehicle to make that happen. Within the darkness, words fall short and silence prevails no matter how mind-numbing. As someone who has made it out of that darkness, every word I've written since has had a newfound weight -- a power. My words have the power to broaden perspectives and reach people in intimate, personal ways. I write for the person who is where I found myself at my lowest point. Whether sharing knowledge or painting a picture so vivid it lets readers escape their own reality, I write for the unseen and the unheard. I write for those stuck in silence and, hopefully, appear as a beacon of hope for a better existence.

For readers, I write with an unspoken understanding of pain. When I found my voice, I didn’t merely speak, I screamed. I shattered the warped lens through which I saw the world and the walls around my heart crumbled in defeat as my voice echoed sounds of strength throughout my body. Death is perpetual silence. I’ve touched that silence, and no part of me wants to be quiet as long as I have the means to be loud. I don’t need to scream anymore, but I will speak for the voices that have faded until they have the power to scream for themselves. I write each word with purpose and precision to show how words have the potential for impact. At its core, my work shows how one can feel seen without being known. After being seen, the potential to feel heard may be less daunting. And there, in that glimmer of hope, is the possibility of empowerment – one word at a time.

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