March

Time to Move On (TMO)

|

This entry is an original song created as a collaborative effort. The song looks to motivate others to tap into their strengths and supports to overcome the obstacles of our life experience.
Listen here

Sy(STEM)ic Sexism – Rosalind Franklin

|

“Rosalind Franklin was a woman who made exceptional contributions to the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA. Her utilization of X-ray crystallography was arguably the most important key regarding the discovery, however,  for a long time, she received little acknowledgement despite her efforts. Two scientists researching the topic became aware of the structure and published their realizations – Franklin was scarcely mentioned in their work. The scientists would go on to receive a Nobel prize for their discovery, while people debated whether Franklin would have received the Nobel prize if she were alive. Although her contributions are more well known, she was never alive to witness the fruits of her labor, teaching us the importance of discussing sexism in STEM.”

Isolation

|

“The meaning behind my piece is that you don’t have to struggle when you are at your worst. You can talk about what’s happening within you instead of letting it build up like I once did.”

Journal of Secrets

|

“My poem tells the story of a person whose journal binding broke, releasing all the pages they wrote on during a hard time in their life. As they gather the pages up again, they begin to realize just how far they’ve come from that dark place. They bind the pages together again with a green ribbon, the symbol of mental health awareness, so that whenever they find themselves in crisis again, it is there as a reminder that things do get better.”

Hope Flows

|

The entry is a visual representation of how hope can flow from pain to create even more love.

Faces of Anxiety

|

I chose this category for my painting because it’s a mental disorder that I suffer through a lot and tends to affect how I act when being social which having social anxiety can be a struggle. I also chose it because it’s a common mental disorder, and it can affect many people.

Subliminal

|

“I have struggled with self-esteem and body image throughout the past few years. I have felt a huge amount of pressure from unrealistic standards that society has set. These standards distort the perception of beauty and cause people to be afraid of expressing themselves.”

A Little Fun

|

“My entry is about practicing self-care by allowing your inner child to run wild. If they wish to dance, then you dance. If they want to finger paint, then you finger paint. Reconnecting to your inner child lets you enjoy the simple things in life and gives you a way to relax and have fun.”

Black Lives Matter

|

I wrote this poem after the murder of George Floyd and the rise in the Black Lives Matter movements across the US. I decided to write a poem because it is a very expressive form of literal arts. When writing essays, we are always taught to be formal and objective, but in this poem I was able to write about the frustration and anger I felt, but also the admiration and hope I have for the Black Lives Matter movement without any repression of my words.