How Proficient am I at Existence
This body of work reflects my lived experience with chronic illness and lack of access to healthcare from 2008 to 2014. During those years, undiagnosed and untreated, I endured persistent pain and fatigue that profoundly shaped my life, art & teaching practices. Bedridden at times, I shifted toward materials that were lightweight, tactile, and manageable—photography, clay, and fabric.
Much of the work was made during long hours in medical settings. I began discreetly photographing hospital spaces—despite HIPAA restrictions—as a way to document and process the uncertainty. These images serve as quiet, grounding records of an often-invisible struggle.
At the same time, I turned to marijuana to manage symptoms, leading me to hand-form ceramic pipes that double as abstract sculptures. Each piece blends function and disguise—paraphernalia hiding in plain sight. Working with clay became a calming, therapeutic act.
I also began wrapping and weaving fabric around rope, recalling the rag rugs of my grandmother’s home. These soft forms, made in bed, marked time during periods of immobility. As my health improved, I began combining ceramics, fiber, and metal into tangled, sprawling sculptures—objects that embody the disorder and exhaustion of sick time.
Though visually distinct, the photographs and sculptures are connected by a shared intimacy and a therapeutic relationship to making. They serve as personal evidence—of pain, care, and survival.
Since gaining access to healthcare in 2014, I’ve become involved in advocacy through the Medicare for All campaign, helping others navigate the same system that once failed me. My work now lives at the intersection of art, healing, and activism—using personal testimony as a tool for change.
