This work is an invitation for me to redefine freedom and purpose. It pushes back against years of conditioning about what it means to be a woman, a wife, and a mother in this culture. Through this practice, I am learning to trust my inner voice—to quiet the noise of expectation. I approach each piece with a single question: What does the voice inside me want to say.

I love it when art gives us that little flutter of hope that someone else out there feels the same way as we do. It is so moving to see an artist render a garden in a way that allows us to feel the sun on our own face and can bring us back to the gardens of our memory. Or when the artist captures a gesture or a look that we understand deeply. My favorite thing about art is how it can open pathways of connection to ourselves and to others.

When I was a teenager, I made art to set myself apart from the restrictive ideals of suburbia in the south. In art school I made art to be cool. I wanted to be part of the discussion, but I wasn’t even sure of what I wanted to say. Then came wifehood and motherhood and I clung to my creative self, but there is often little left at the end of the day. Over time, I found a small space at the kitchen table to try to remember myself. Eventually, as my kid needed me less, and my marriage matured, I turned my mothering towards my creative self. I lifted my eyes, widened my horizon, and saw an opportunity to be brave. This work is the outward expression of a woman reclaiming her creative self.