Comfortable, 2021.
As one of my final pieces as an undergrad, I decided to do a self portrait for many reasons. In my works of art I frequently explore themes revolving around societal issues such as colonialism, gender, race, and social class. These stem from my own experiences of being a woman of color and my financial struggles growing up. Many of these negative influences I encountered affected the way I perceived myself for many years. In my drawing, I wanted to portray myself not only in a way I want to be, but in a way I deserve to be. I have accepted I will never fall into the white western beauty ideal, but I still deserve to be comfortable in my skin. I have struggled with confidence in the past so I wanted to draw myself in an empowering way. I have also depicted a flower to represent a blooming and reinventing of the self.