May

Nature’s Cure

|

Over quarantine, I developed feelings of shyness and I found it hard to open up to people and new things. I felt very out of place, as if I was missing something in my life, for it was as though I was empty inside. But I eventually decided to open my bedroom window during one of my digital classes and, like magic, I felt free. Opening this path to nature allowed me to relax and realize the beautiful world we live in, and how even just a single breath of fresh air can connect you to endless, amazing experiences.

Letting Go

|

I decided to create this piece to represent the feelings of letting go. I have faced many situations where I have to stop and let go to move on and be happy. Everyone should know that no one is perfect and making mistakes are ok. I hope those who view my art piece find the courage in letting go of any tension they have kept within themselves.

Tomorrow

|

My painting is based on when I had cancer when I was about five or six years old with Ewing’s Sarcoma. I was in the hospital for a week every other week and I was attached to this panda bear stuffed animal that I got from the gift shop on the hospital’s first floor. I brought the panda bear everywhere I went and it got me to the next day, which is why my painting’s title is named “Tomorrow.” In fact, I still have the panda bear by my bed today, and it’s still giving me hope.

Dear Me

|

I choose this category because I wanted to reflect on the future.

Dear Me… In 10 Years

|

My entry is about me,10 years from now. I want it to show how much someone can change, and has goals to change. I chose this category because it shows how many dreams and goals I have for myself in the future.

Dear Darren

|

My entry is a letter to myself in the future, describing the events that I have gone through in the past year. It encourages my future self to reaffirm to values that I learned in the present, and discusses the role of mental health in our lives.

Dear Me in 5 Years

|

My entry talks about my goals for the next five years during high school and my first year of college. It focuses on the things I want to learn and overcome in order to grow as a person.

Dear Future Me

|

I chose the monthly prompt because I felt I could express my heart and my soul in words on the page, and be something that I would want to look back upon after graduating from high school to see how far I had come and if my dreams had changed. I also felt that this was a great way to honor my teacher who has had been a huge inspiration to me and taught me a great deal about myself and teaching.

Awareness Break

|

I chose this category because it really connects to me since I can get easily stressed. Writing a letter to my future self really allowed to me understand that there are many different ways on taking care of my mental health. To this day, I still practice the mental health tips to help take care of my mental health.

Dear future me

|

My piece is a letter to my future self. I chose this prompt to self reflect.