January

“This project includes mixed media of photography of me in my catching gear, watercolor paints, and markers. I have played baseball since I was three years old. In 2019 my little league major baseball season was cut short, and I missed playing baseball and playing with my friends. When baseball started up again, I was not as good, and I was discouraged playing catcher. All I could do was hope for the new season and that I would improve. I found words that helped motivate me to keep trying and not give up hope of becoming better. This project includes encouraging words that have inspired me to stay motivated in baseball and school and continue trying harder.”

“We hand sculpted the clay into society’s perfect vision of a man and a woman. We struggle and fight to figure out our place in the world, but we shouldn’t shape ourselves based on the fear and expectation of what other’s want us to be.”

“In my painting, I want to express my hopes of finding myself this year. Looking back on 2022, I went through a lot of rough patches. During those hard times, I felt like I lost myself in multiple instances. Even though on the outside I looked fine, on the inside I felt empty almost like a void, never-ending sadness. So, with that thought in mind, I created this painting. I represented the feelings I felt during my rough patches. In the back, you will see bright colors. Those colors represent my favorite parts of myself. Even though I felt like a blue never-ending void, the best parts of me were still there in the background, waiting to be shown again.”

“I chose to do this piece because I want people to find their happiness anywhere and for people to not be lonely. Also for people to find hope for what they are doing because some people might think it’s not fun but other people might think it is.”

“This is a digital drawing of the recently deceased mountain lion P-22. P-22 – who was euthanized on December 17, 2022, after being hit by a car – has played an important role in raising awareness on animal rights issues across Southern California. P-22 was born in the Santa Monica mountains in 2010, but crossed two highways to move to Griffith Park in Los Angeles, where he was forced to survive within an 8 square mile range (compared to the 150 required by other male cats) and would never find a mate. His situation quickly grew famous, and people grew more aware of how humans had damaged Southern California’s ecosystems. As a result of P-22’s life stuck in Griffith Park, people are taking serious measures to make sure no mountain lion will ever be forced into a situation as forlorn as his. A bridge is being built between two parts of the Santa Monica Mountain range to help expand mountain lion territories and genetic diversity, which have decreased because human development has separated parts of the mountains. P-22’s time in Griffith Park has helped to raise awareness on California’s environmental problems and bring justice to animals across Southern California, and I hope this piece can show that and help us in remembering his life.”

“Something that always gives me hope for the future is my cat, Mickey. He was rescued off the streets of Malibu, California and then brought to a shelter East of Los Angeles. He was part of a “trap, neuter, release” program and half of his left ear had been clipped as proof. Suffice to say he had a hard time trusting people and to make things worse, he was partnered with a cranky cat in a cage at the shelter, so he never really had a safe space of his own. On December 27, 2021, he was adopted by a woman who had him for less than 24 hours before returning him, stating that he went crazy at her house and then hid. All cat experts and experienced owners can tell you that cats need to be introduced to new environments bit by bit, and most cats, particularly former street cats, take anywhere from hours to a year to stop hiding. Mickey was given a free run of his new home in the first hour. Fast forward, and my mom and I meet him at the shelter during a volunteer shift a day later. We came back two more times and on the second visit, we adopted him, and the rest is history. His new adoption anniversary is December 30th. Now named after the comic book character, Opus the penguin, he is loving life, becoming more confident around people, and bonding with his new big sister. Opus went through so much hardship, separated from his mother months before most kittens, with a hectic adoption story, and a dangerous life on the streets. But today, he has a loving home, and is bouncing back with a little TLC and catnip. If he can stay resilient and end up happier than ever before, then so can I, and so can anyone.”