YOU MATTER ~ YOU ARE BRAVE ~ YOU ARE ENOUGH

Each and every day of life can be challenging. There’s tons of pressure from the world, society as a whole, the media, friends, family and more. Not to mention the pressure we put on ourselves and the load we carry on our shoulders. It’s important to acknowledge and feel the glows of strength we all have internally as well as believe we are NOT alone in this life.

I will never forget the moment when my cousin took his own life at 14. It was one of the hardest moments to experience and make sense of but that difficult period taught me just how precious life is and the importance of being open with your thoughts as well as having the confidence to share your feelings with others and not feel judged.

Painted in 2017 with Jason Graves and curation from Branded Arts, this piece was part of Kaiser Permanente Thrive’s “#FindYourWords” campaign, which aimed to create a positive conversation around mental health. This piece was a hard one to paint but is still one of my most favorite artistic moments to date.