What is your favorite type of art to create?

My favorite type of art is painting, especially when I can mix in multimedia or 3D elements. I like the idea that a piece doesn’t just sit on a canvas—it comes off the surface and changes the space around it. I’m drawn to creating work that feels alive and expressive, almost like it’s transforming the environment into something more colorful, emotional, and vibrant. For me, it’s a way of turning feeling into something you can step into.

Where do you find inspiration?

My inspiration comes from feeling like I didn’t always fit in, something shaped in part by being adopted. I studied art therapy to explore how people communicate beyond words and to help others who struggle to verbalize their feelings. I create because art gives form to emotions I can’t always say out loud. I’m inspired by its ability to connect people to themselves and to others in ways language sometimes can’t.

What would you do with $25,000?

With $25,000, I hope that I could create stability that allows me to keep making art and developing my work. When life is focused on just getting by, creativity—the language I rely on—can get pushed aside. I’d use it for essential costs and art materials so I can continue creating and exploring. Longer-term, I want to keep growing in art therapy so I can help others find ways to express things without feeling like they need to find words for them.