Arts Thread

Coalesce began as a journey of internal psychological reflection. Inspired by Francesca Woodman’s self-portraiture, themes of metamorphosis and identity flooded my early work in this series. I was attempting to reach a level of catharsis for my suffering through photography. However, when my first batch of negatives were seemingly unusable due to a development mistake, I felt like I was back at square one. Despite this setback, I pushed the images to their visual limits, accepted their imperfections, and built the foundation of this series on what I once thought was unsalvageable. Coalesce now serves as a visual diary of my journey to rise above my flaws, mistakes, and imperfections; to accept myself as I exist within the world. Coalesce "At a moment's notice, the wind can shift like the currents of the sea. Each breeze transforms me. Dismantling my fears and unraveling my eyes. I do not mourn the life I’ve lived below, nor fear the heights to which I’ll rise. Still, I must find a way to start again. And when the world surrounds me, I will finally ascend. Living and forgetting all that brings me stress. Again and again, until every part of me begins to Coalesce."