jrowe

Escape

I love classical music and it has helped me through a lot of tough times. […] I was very delighted and excited to create a video exploring the ability to escape through music.

Recreating me

The piece I created called “recreating me” is about living life with a different body image than what is percieved through social media and other social norms. My piece illustrates both the harshness and hateful discrimination from social media and social norms based around stretch marks and belly rolls. While i also integrate the softer accepting hand holding the figure accepting the imperfections. My piece is about breaking apart and ripping off the social norms and hateful words people will claim about you and reveal the true you underneath.

Innocence

In light of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the heartbreaking reality of violence and loss of innocent lives (especially among children) is deeply distressing. Regardless of one’s perspective on the conflict, there is a shared understanding that the lives of children should never be sacrificed in the name of vengeance.

Kintsugi

Kintsugi (meaning “golden joinery”) is the Japanese method of mending broken pottery with gold. […] I based my piece around the earthquake in March 2011 that I experienced when I lived in Japan. Many lives were lost, towns were destroyed by tsunamis, and the radiation plant disaster that followed left the country terrified of its potential effects. However, through all that, I watched the citizens uplift each other and find ways to cheer everyone up.

Embrace the Light Within

My entry is a poetic journey through the complex and often challenging landscape of mental health. It begins in the quiet recesses of the mind, acknowledging the intricate and vast nature of one’s inner world. […] The poem concludes with a poignant call to embrace both the journey and the fight, acknowledging the resilience and beauty that can emerge even in the face of darkness.

The Sound of Thoughts

Music is abstract, similar to our lives. I think music helps reflect how we feel so we can work through how our emotions are holding us down. It’s also influences on how we feel so I think listening to music creates change small or big, I think it creates change within, it creates hope for something better.

Tone

My piece depicts how music can set the tone for our lives. The girl on the balcony lives in an environment devoid of color and creativity, but the music she’s listening to widens her horizons and allows her to see the potential in everything.

Safe Space

When things happen in our lives, sometimes we cope by listening to music and tuning out the chaos around us. It’s important to take moments for ourselves to calm down, reflect, and think clearly. To me and many others, music is a way to accomplish that. […] I made this art piece in order to thank music for getting me through tough times.

Music and Mental Health

I play the violin and it helps me with my mental health. In my drawing, the girl wears her headphones to listen to music, because she is stressed. […] When I draw, I wear my headphones, close my eyes, and use my imagination to start my “magic” — that’s what I call my art

Music and My Mood

Music impacts my mental health positively, especially when I am feeling down. I can relate to lyrics and feel understood when I listen to a song. Music guides me through difficult times and leaves me feeling more positive