I created this collage in 2006, before working with John Abner, who has given me a lot of guidance on how to do so properly. No advanced planning went into this piece in terms of layout, colors, sizes, shapes, guiding the viewers eye, etc, but I still relate strongly to my inspiration.

It’s an old theme but worth revisiting again and again, resetting our brains and ejecting erroneous beliefs. As women we are constantly pummeled with “encouragement” to be our best selves – our apparent lack of inherent value is a multibillion dollar industry. If you don’t have the plumpest lips, the best hair (you know, like a horse), the whitest whites and brightest brights, if you haven’t covered your varicose veins, gotten rid of your acne (60 days at a time), banished belly fat (who needs a healthy diet when you can just take a pill), and been validated by diamond jewelry (ideally the mother of all diamond jewelry, the engagement ring) well, dying alone may not be such a bad thing.

Wear makeup, whiten your teeth, and accept the rock, just don’t let that be all there is.