on art as a gift and I am a giver - how and why I make all of my art for you.

recently, spending my days alone and undistracted inside this big Japanese house of old books, I have been thinking of my days as a fluid flow of cyclical time in which I give — to my own wellbeing, to nurturing my kindred spirits, to deep art itself. and when I create art, I always create thinking of who I’m creating it for.

since I was a child, I would make my best works of art as gifts — starting with a childhood crush in my kindergarten class (his name was Spencer, I had bangs and could barely speak English, I drew him exquisite flowers, flowers which I could not later reproduce, and my mother seemed disappointed that I gave them away to a random white boy) or in high school, making elaborate and deeply metaphorical cards for a close romantic-ish friend.

in college, I made illustrated maps for visiting friends, an entire hand cut storybook for a boyfriend, and then, after college, these paintings. I found my flow in writing travel letters, addressed to a specific person. reflecting on my creative process, I see again and again this truth:

art is a gift, and I create from my heart and soul — always to and for someone I love.

I give art to an “other” — and the other might be myself — such as in these moon journals, when I survived an emotional train wreck and tracked how I felt for 365 days, or it might be a specific person or people.

art is me paying attention to life, finding exquisite beauty, exploring infinite possibility, feeling all the deep feelings — and pouring it all out to share, specifically, with you.

this idea of art as a gift reflects back on why I believe why art matters in the world. it is not meant to be framed and barred behind walls, sold at auctions and mused by critics for the elite few — art is meant to be free, flowing, and filled with energy of giving.

for me, art is about deep connection and intimacy — becoming closer to ourselves, and to each other.

so, my dear friend. my art is for you. I made it for you.