This self-portrait represents my growing awareness of who I was becoming. Rather than trying to create an idealized version of myself, I wanted to confront my own uncertainty, difference, and imperfections. It marks a transition from seeing my differences as weaknesses to beginning to understand them as part of my identity.

This work explores the many emotions and thoughts that existed inside me but were difficult to express. The different faces represent the emotions I encountered in myself and in the people around me, while the expressionless plaster figure represents how I often saw myself; present, but unable to fully communicate what I was feeling.

The intertwined circles represent the mechanical gears of my thinking process. Each one varies in size, shape, and texture, all made through different art techniques learned throughout my life. As they rotate together, they reflect how those elements continuously interact, shaping and reshaping the way I perceive myself and the world around me.

The different sizes suggest that not every thought carries the same weight or influence, but they do still carry some impact, as they're all required to keep the system moving. Through this interconnected motion, I explore how my identity and perspective are constantly evolving through reflection from experiences I've had.

The pelican represents my growing desire to care for others and the world around me. Through my experiences with my brother and later through volunteering with people with disabilities, I began to understand that caring is not about fixing someone's differences. It's about noticing, listening, and making space for another person to exist as they are.

I created this work to represent a period when I felt overwhelmed by the world around me. The headphones symbolize my attempt to block out the voices, expectations, and emotions I didn't understand how to process. The brain is a closed space, sealed from the outside, reflecting my desire to retreat rather than engage with the world.

In this work, I explore how identity is shaped through the people and environments around us. The three-faced plaster figure exists inside a hand, suggesting that the self is constantly held, influcened, and shaped by the world. Outside the hand, fragmented eyes, mouths, and other expressions represent the expectations, judgments, and experiences we encounter. Rather than being completely independent of these influences, we become ourselves through them.