Artist Statement

The impact of stress on human health is immense, and stress can express itself in a variety of ways. The ways in which stress effects physiological and mental health is often seen as separate entities but are in fact melded together. For me, stress has always played a major role in my day-to-day life, and it has always made sure to make its presence very known. With stress comes with a reduced ability to breathe, a quickened heart rate, and an overall sense of doom. Not only does vision become blurry, but my entire being and existence fades into blurriness as well as it succumbs into a certain numbness.

The intent of my artwork is to explore this relationship between physiological and emotional health by visually depicting the influence of what stress feels like from both a symbolic and physical perspective. Specifically, I’m exploring how stress has manifested in my life. These images come largely from self-portraits of myself during a state of stress, with aspects of human anatomy, such as organs or cells, being integrated into the figure. There is also typically the use of symbolism through plants or animals to further express the sensation being targeted. By incorporating human anatomy and this biological symbolism into self-portraits, I am able to investigate the personal impact of stress on my everyday life.