At the end of last year I started on a new path with my art. One sketch ended up inspiring so many ideas that I am creating a new body of work. The working title is: “Subverting the Paradox: I was never good at letting go”. I’ve slowly been sharing some of the initial sketches over the last few weeks, and there are many more to come. This new series is exploring loss and letting go. The death of a loved one is just one of the many forms of loss that I have been trying to conceptualize. I’ve also been exploring past events, the loss of relationships, un-achieved dreams, and things that never came to fruition. Things we remember, mourn, and regret. I wanted to create a visual story of the emotions we navigate during the grieving process, and the potential found in letting go. I’ve always considered it a paradox. Holding onto these memories reminds us of who we were, who they were, and how things could have been. Memories are not a bad thing, the paradox happens when those experiences and memories become parasitic. We hold tight to our losses, obsessing over the memories until it feels like we are living the past all over again. These negative memories and emotions gain new life, while poisoning ours. I think that every time we experience a change, positive or negative, a new potential self is born. Refusing to let go of bad experiences, is also refusing to breathe life into the new person you’ve become. This series is my attempt to do that. To process and let go.