Artist Statement

Sweaty palms, skin that feels like fire, fluttering in my chest, trouble breathing, and restlessness are what I experience at least once a day. Anxiety has managed to take over my life. It begins with a thought that links to another thought which keeps going till I get to the most feared thought and then becomes an obsession. This obsessive, day ruining thought has successfully kept me from complete happiness. It has ruined dates, classes, movies, and everyday activities, because my brain cannot get past that intruding memory or worry. All of the other thoughts are sitting patiently behind it to be acknowledged but seem to never get their fair share of attention. The thought could be anything from boyfriend trouble to money to my biggest fear, death. It has completely debilitated my ability to function normally from day to day. I can complete all of my tasks but not to the 100%. Anxiety is something everyone has, but seems to effect me to the point of never wanting to deal with any situation.

With my work, I am using a main form to represent "the thought" and other patterns and drawings to be the other thoughts the are diminished and left behind due to this obstruction. All of the other thoughts begin to become less important regardless of how important they really are. Nothing has seemed to help this problem and art seems to increase it. By sitting and drawing or line etching, my focus tends to stick with the toxic idea and being alone with the canvas only isolates me from other, more happy things.