Growing up as a half Asian and half White girl with blue eyes and pale skin – constantly surrounded by my family from India and the Philippines – I have always felt different. Different not only because I looked nothing like anyone in my family but also because I felt like I couldn't relate to their struggles and they couldn't relate to mine. Through each piece in my sustained investigation I express how I often feel lonely in being different from the people/my family around me, but there is always a silver lining: that uniqueness is what makes you beautiful. Through my pieces I express the negative thoughts (Silence!) and the loneliness (Finding Home), I use the color blue as an image throughout my pieces as a symbol of that uniqueness I feel which is portrayed physically by the color of my eyes (Eye for I, Fresh Eyes, & Alone in Color). However, my family will always be connected through our culture and history (Family Ties). By implementing Indian henna patterns and patterns from a butterfly wing to symbolize change and beauty throughout all my pieces, I connect my family and know that though I may be unique it's these things that have given me a fresh perspective. Throughout my sustained investigation, I practiced with newspaper collage, and took risks by using black paper and experimenting with origami and patterning.

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