During my first year as a graduate student, I experienced severe mental health struggles that almost made me consider leaving the university. I was dealing with perfectionism, imposter syndrome, periods of deep depression, and anxiety that all made me question who I was and what I was doing. To help cope with perfectionism and my mental health, for 72 days I created an abstract piece of art that enabled me to let out my emotions. I posted each canvas on an Instagram account, openly talked about my mental health publicly, and worked with my professor, Julie Elman, to navigate this period of my life. After meeting with three different therapists, with my professors, and continuing my artistic journey, I finished the end of my first year of graduate school with a 4.0, with more confidence and value instilled in myself. This project later inspired my current master's project, which looks at the complexity of queer identities and how queer people experience the world. I never saw myself in other queer works because of their pristine designs. A project coated in chaos, uniqueness, and color seemed a lot more relatable to me. Stay tuned for my project, If You Could Read My Mind, this spring.
