This exhibition will stand as a resource to inform others in the many ways that art can be utilized to navigate through life. I utilize response art and personal narrative as an arts-based autoethnography to support my journey through complex grief and loss. My artwork will invite others into my personal experience with mental health which will inform people about the vulnerable process that takes place when one begins their journey of self- work through therapeutic art practice. My work will also inform the public on the positive impact that art therapy can have when one is consistent with the process.
My work is an embodied experience of the five senses, the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. It is a combination of process work and product using journaling, prints, personal objects and video. Through this work, I have explored and learned ways in which complex grief and loss can be supported. I have created response art to my lived experiences which I hope others can learn and be inspired from.
I enjoy using a range of materials such as: blank paper for doodling and free drawing, a journal for reflective thoughts, an iPad and iPad pencil for response art, and an iPhone to capture video. My style of work derives from spirituality, faith and deep expressive emotion. I am inspired by African American artists: Henry Lee Battle, Kevin A. Williams, and Staci Maxwell.
Battle’s This Too Shall Past (date unknown), and Time Well Spent (date unknown) are figurative and spiritual color pencil drawings that portray real experiences and connect with the Black audience. These renderings inspire me because they offer hope by highlighting the journey of faith that inherently arises through adversity. Willliam’s Step out on Faith (date unknown) illustrates the spiritual experience between man and God. This work is similar to my piece, Hold On, 2022 as I portray the faith of a Black woman gripping a rope that leads upward to the source of help. I Can See the Light, 2022 is the piece I created which also reflects an exaggerated awakening through color rendering and lighted footsteps in the rugged ground.
Staci Maxwell’s Gathered in My Name (date unknown) is a strong piece that represents the support of Black women coming together in their faith. My work titled, We Got Your Back, 2022 also shows the power that takes place when a group of colored women come together in the name of God to empathize with one another during a time of great struggle.
All that I have presented in this exhibition is a seed that will grow into a field of creative inspiration for the field of mental health. I will continue this approach to self-care as an artist, art therapist, and counselor. With each of these identities marrying, I am excited to explore the reproduction of the illustrations as mental health resources and social activism.Visual art has the power of empathetically engaging with the client at each level of whatever they may be experiencing due to shared experiences.
I Can See The Light A digital illustration created after reflecting on Journal Entry 11/15/22. The image was created with ProCreate software on an iPad.
Holding On A digital illustration created after reflecting on Journal Entry 7/17/22. The image was created with ProCreate software on an iPad.
We Got Your Back, 2022 A digital illustration created after reflecting on Journal Entry 6/26/22. The image was created with ProCreate software on an iPad.