The astronomer Carl Sagan once said, “When you’re in love, you want to tell the world.” Nothing could be “more true for me regarding my passion for art. I view the role of the artist as one synonymous with privilege. As creators, we have the privilege of providing a mirror for society to view itself, and I take that responsibility seriously. When I create art, I want it to resonate not only with people’s minds but also their hearts.

With an increasingly volatile climate, growing tensions between global superpowers, inequalities across different sectors, and the rampant spread of misinformation through social media, it is easy, if not tempting, to accept these circumstances as inevitable. However, I reject the tendency to resort to nihilism and apathy and instead choose to use my art to inspire activism and change and to create dialogue.

Before I found art, I felt that I could not authentically express my passion for the causes I supported. Through art, I found that I could not only lend a voice to issues that I cared about but also reimagine and present them in ways that struck a chord with others. I have been able to express parts of myself and parts of the human condition that no other medium could adequately express. I believe that art can communicate across the aisle and to people around the world in a way that no other form of communication can, and that is what motivates me as a creator and activist.