This collage marked an important milestone of my journey to learn, accept and grow out of her past. It captures the tension created by my narcissistic parents, who loved me but in the way they thought is the most “appropriate". 

🪺 Our early experiences shape our belief about ourselves and the world. Maintaining a balanced relationship with a family who has created a sort of trauma within me is one of the most difficult I have done. 

🐍 I still believe that even though one’s parents might not be perfect, they probably still did their best to protect and love their child the way they thought that was “right” and the most “appropriate” (symbolized by the placement of the snake cutouts, guarding the infant). When you are on the receiving end of this kind of love, it can feel suffocating, and can cause a long lasting impact on you (symbolized with the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby).

👶🏼 However, it does not define who you are. You can choose to grow out of it, bloom and be fruitful (symbolized with the fruits and blooming flowers in this collage). The resiliency within us wants us to heal and be strong. Similar to a cut of our skin, which always has a scab growing over it to aid its healing. Neuroscience is proving how our brains, like the rest of our bodies, are largely programmed for self-healing.

Expressing ourselves through our own creativity aids self healing and that is what I do. My goal is to use these "broken pieces" to encourage people to continue growing and healing.