Description of Art:
Front: This piece is on a white rectangle canvas and the art was created with a black graphite pencil. The border of the canvas has a cloud shape, inside the shape are the following series of words and phrases: Irrational, Worry, Dont give up on me, exhausted, irritability, overwhelmed, sadness, intrusive thoughts, fear, brain moves slowww, numb, fear of failure, excessive sleep, introvert, worried, isolation, slow, intense, lazy, losing people, no down time, tired, lonely, not enough, routine, hopeless, drained, behind, guilt, panic, and the words inconvenience and burden are underlined. There is smudging from the graphite throughout the piece, giving it a darker appearance. At the center of the canvas is a door that is slightly open, revealing tile flooring and a peek into a blank room. There are 3 rows of tape outside of the door with the word “Caution” written on them.
Back:At the top of canvas is a cloud with the phrase: “Madd House ~ No Room For Error!”. Underneath this is a note from the artist: Surround yourself with people willing to learn you. Support and creating your own family is a huge impact on one’s mental health. Set and respect boundaries, be willing to grow, and leave room for error. My biggest and strongest character trait is resilience… Work at your own pace. Don’t compare yourself to others! Overall, allow open communication, have Clear (underlined) expectations, and love/allow to be loved.
About the Artist: O’Shani (She/They)
Image Description: O’Shani has very short, blonde, coiled hair and brown skin. She is holding up her phone to take her picture and on the other hand she is making a peace sign. She is wearing a tan cropped shirt, blue jean pants, and is adorned with golden hoop earrings, a couple of bracelets, a septum piercing, a nose ring, and long jeweled nails.
Interview:
This project has been exciting for a number of reasons but especially because we had the opportunity to talk to each of the artists about their piece. Here is just some of what O’Shani (she/they) shared with us on August 1st, 2024.
O’Shani is a lover of cats, long nails, long-boarding, and Anime. They are a young adult living in a housing program for LGBTQ+ youth and they experience anxiety and depression.
Describing their Art:
O’Shani described how they present themselves as a welcoming person that anyone can vent to but internally, they are very anxious. So, “the door” is always open but it gets exhausting, they’re always worrying about “checking off the list” but they’re also a perfectionist so it’s easy to get stuck on one thing. The caution tape is the warning and the words around it are just some of the thoughts they are battling each day.
“A lot of people think I’m lazy, because there are some days where I don’t do anything. But my mind just won’t allow me to.”
O’Shani finds that she is hard on herself, describing her self-reflection as like “grading papers” because there is no room for her to make mistakes. She underlined the words inconvenience and burden because those “hit” her the hardest.
O’Shani shared that it was difficult to come out as a queer person, especially to her mom.
“A lot of the things I did put on that paper were what I heard from her or how she feels about me.”
Now that she lives in this housing program, she finally feels like the people in her life are supportive of every part of her.
“It’s overwhelming, because I’m not used to it, but I love it.”
For O’Shani, a safe, stable, and nurturing environment has family that is created, not by blood but by choice. That environment allows you to make mistakes and teaches you how to not just love but how to be loved.
“Your struggle does not define who you are.”