“this painting was born in 2021, at the beginning of what would become one of the hardest, most confusing seasons of my life. i had just uprooted my life in los angeles at the height of my career and returned home to metro-detroit in hopes to find some healing. my body began to fail me—mysterious health challenges, panic attacks, and a constant sensation of drowning beneath the surface. my life had flipped upside down.

the hand reaching out of the water represents the days i’ve felt like i was disappearing, the nights when the pain and anxiety felt endless, and the silence when no one seemed to hear or see me. but it also carries something deeper: the sliver of hope i’ve held onto—that someday i’d breathe again and find myself on the other side.

these challenges have ebbed and flowed through the years, and while they are still very much a part of my life, creating has become a way for me to stay tethered to myself. pouring my energy into my work gives me purpose, something steady to return to when simply existing feels too overwhelming.

this piece isn’t just about drowning. it’s about survival. it’s about hope—even when the weight of the water feels too heavy to bear.”