2023

My Anchor

“My mom has been able to keep me grounded even in the mightiest of storms and gave me strength during an incident I had at my school. Even anchors wear out after carrying all that weight, but my mother still keeps me strong despite the fatigue, because she loves me. […] I wanted to honor my mother, who would go as far as to capture the moon for me if it was my heart’s greatest desire.”

The Warmth of A Friend

“My submission is a watercolor and colored pencil mixed media painting depicting two friends on a couch with a cat. One friend comforts the other, showing my anchor, which is my friends and loved ones who will always be there to anchor you when the waters get rough. I decided to use a warmer color palette to show the warmth that your friends and loved ones can bring into your life when things seem cold and bleak.”

The Feeling of Music

“My drawing is about how a person’s stress or anxiety can disappear with their anchor – in this case the anchor [of] music. With music, people can go into their own world and forget about their problems and stress. […] Music also helps me get away from the world and motivates me to get through a bad day.”

My Madre

“An anchor to me is someone that provides stability in the tides of life. I chose my grandmother as my anchor because she motivated me to grow into the person I am today. […] I really want my grandma to be proud of me.”

My Protector

“My piece is a representation of my anchor in life – my pets. Life can be stressful at times, but the simple presence of an animal is immediately calming; it’s why people have therapy pets and why dogs are brought to hospitals to cheer people up. When life gets hard, sometimes the best thing you can do is look into the eyes of something that’ll always support you [and] always love you, no matter what.”

Self-Care

“My submission shows one of the things that anchors me, which is skincare. Doing skincare is my self-care. I feel refreshed after I do skincare, and my mind is clearer. I tried to translate this feeling into my painting by having the reflection in the painting show my happiness. […] Skincare is a part of my routine, and I always know I’ll be able to do it, so it is the constant in my life that helps me stay hopeful.”

Guiding Light

“My mother has always been someone I can rely on and brings me happiness. She is always available to offer me guidance and console me when I’m going through a hard time. My painting shows my mother acting as a guide, helping me go through my journey of life which is represented by a map of rough terrain. Her touch radiates warm yellow light, a symbol of comfort that repels negative emotions.”

Helping Hand

It’s about this young adult named Deangelo who’s experiencing depression. He pushes people away not wanting to waste people’s time and believes he probably deserves to experience these symptoms. There’s a realization towards the end that changes this. It relates back to the required content since it goes over mental health and what many people experience. This feeling of self doubt in yourself or feeling as if your not important. No one should have to feel that way.

It all starts with you

This is a story about how a girl’s bestfriend began to notice that she started acting strangely and unlike anything he has ever seen before but starts to realize that he can connect the signs she is giving to those of which who are suicidal.

Reach Out

My animation, “Reach Out”, is about a person reaching out to another person who is in a dark place due to stresses and anxieties, and brings them into the light and good of the world. I drew this animation because one thing I want to see more of in the world is people reaching out to others just checking if their okay. As humans, it is our nature to just stay centered around ourselves, but in reality we need each other to make things work, and one way we can help others is just by checking in on others, and asking them if they are okay.