In 10 Words or Less

5x7”

watercolor and ink on paper

#in10wordsorless is a project I did where I requested of my Instagram following to submit "your most recent relationship: in 10 words or less" and then I'd illustrate it according to my interpretation of their blurb. I received over 500 submissions and illustrated + posted them every day for the better part of a year.

Origin Story: The beginning of November 2018 was the official end of what had been a very long, drawn-out, and intense breakup. I had been mourning the relationship while I was in it and as a result completely isolated myself from everything I had previously loved; I’d become a prisoner of my misery. When it was finally time for us both to say “enough is enough” - I felt so alone in my sorrow and needed to know that I wasn’t by way of similar experiences. This project is the direct result of my desperation to connect to other people and serve as a reminder that heartache is a universal feeling just as much as love is.

Illustration

Penis Envy / The Male Ego

"Penis Envy/The Male Ego" is a series (2015) that explores the social dynamic between men and women in modern American culture. The idea stemmed from being the recipient of many unsolicited "dick-pics" while attempting to find a substantial romantic connection via online dating. The crude, hyper-sexual and often times outright offensive content received by myself (and most of my hetero female friends also using dating sites/apps) was the catalyst to an experiment in gender role reversal.

I converted my online profile into a collection tool and would approach every subject in the same way that I had been. Most (if not all) men I encountered were surprised having never been treated so sexually aggressive up front by a woman before. My requests for photos of their penises was greeted with a combination of responses ranging from no response, confusion, getting flagged for removal, disgust, curiosity and/or an even more abrasive version of my opener.

I would find myself getting lost in the role and though no sexual satisfaction was ever gained in receiving or viewing the pictures, I did feel more powerful and in control of the subjects; especially as their persistence in reciprocation grew.

When I began sharing my painted renditions to social media outlets, my attention shifted from exposing the way women are treated individually and in the comfort of the internets anonymity to the way women and the human form are treated as a whole.

I was getting flagged on Facebook & Instagram for inappropriate content, mocked for my new & strange obsession with male genitalia, and was even asked multiple times by friends and family if I had truly gone crazy.

These varying reactions posed the new question of nudity vs. sexuality and the disparity in how the different genders are represented. To display my paintings was considered "appalling", "tasteless" and was "giving men the wrong impression [of myself]", yet in almost every major media format that exists, the objectification of women is the norm.

Through this experiment, I came to understand that women are treated a certain way by men (even in the privacy of an online chat) because of the way society has set up the roles of each gender. I also discovered to my surprise that given the appropriate platform, I am capable of becoming that which I despise.