"Journey Map" Artist's Statement

     I was born into a house of glass, sharp words and broken hearts. Over time I built a thick shell of hatred and numerous unhealthy coping mechanisms to keep me safe from the world and all who might seek to hurt me. I lived in this shell for most of my remembered life, never thinking that there might be something more beyond that barrier. The path to freedom was long and winding, filled with many stubborn obstacles and painful transitions. I will always and forever celebrate the day that shell broke away. Hope was born. Life became a whirlwind of confusion and exciting new possibilities as the search for purpose intensified. Meaning began to grow out of years of misery and decay; slowly but surely I began to feel myself blossoming into the person I was always meant to be. The key for which I had been searching so desperately was right there inside me the whole time! And just like that, life became a mission. Everything happens for a reason. I believe that I went through that hell so that one day I would be equipped to bring hope to to those traveling the same road, pointing each one towards a brighter tomorrow for us all. Long after I am gone I want the world to be a better place for my having existed. It is my most sincere desire that my students be inspired to set off a chain reaction of their own to work toward this same goal.