I’m still not really sure what to say about this piece … partly because the entire process was deeply personal and partially because something about it feels like a rebellion against my previous work. So I have been working on this for over a year now and it just recently came into completion at the beginning of this year.

For a while I felt like I had to exclude or distance myself from my artwork; I was using it as a method of escape. I had to figure out how to be authentically me. Now I am in a place where I realize that my experience is universal. I am not alone. Everyone goes through it. Everyone has to face the day and find their courage. I had to take some time to imagine myself  the way I saw other people. I had to change the lens through which I saw myself.

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The excerpt below is from a book by Diane Wolkstein, “Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth” (#superdope #giveitagoogle)

From “The Holy Priestess of Heaven”, A Hymn to Inanna

Mighty, majestic, and radiant, 

You shine brilliantly in the evening, 

You brighten the day at dawn, 

You stand in the heavens like the sun and the moon, 

Your wonders are known both above and below, 

To the greatness of the holy priestess of heaven, 

To you, Inanna, I sing! 

Cierra Johnson, Artist