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I study how my mother swiftly moves her hands while chopping up vegetables – I said, “I’m hungry,” and she said, “Let’s cook something together.” I listen to my father as he soothes me with kind words and patience – maybe the earth isn’t crumbling beneath me after all. I look at the way the sunlight peaks through the summer leaves and kisses the face of my precious friend – perhaps this is the same warmth felt in heaven. And I think to myself, “This, is art. This, this is love.” Because I have found art in the ones that I love. I have found it in a series of simple moments, actions, and efforts. Both art and love require a willingness to extend yourself further, for something to grow, for something to live. It is such an honor to be an artist. For it is the artistic spirit that challenges thought, fights for change, and truly believes that what we do, does indeed matter. Some days, creating feels very much like I was cursed and left to torment over infinite choices (with no one correct answer). Other days, creating feels like running through a field of wildflowers with my lungs on fire and everything is spinning, but I’m so happy. Art means arriving messy with my hands covered in blood, but still hungry and ready to keep trying, again, and again, and again. I admire the resilience of human spirit, and how even when it is placed on a stage or screen, it can be felt just as deeply. Life is hard. Life hurts, a lot. However, life will hold you gently, but it will continuously remind you that it must make you stronger. Acting has taught me that you can use those experiences to gain greater insights, and possibly even understanding. Sharing stories and forming connections requires bringing vulnerability to the table and standing up on that table and saying, “I AM HERE. THIS IS ME.” The human spirit thrives on being seen and understood. To be loved, is to be cherished, is to be seen. In a world that is so big and unpredictable, I want to be able to find you. Just like the characters born from imagination, we are not without our quirks. I have always felt that it is my responsibility to give justice to these beings that are asking me, “Can you tell my story? Can you give me the chance to live and breathe? Even if it is just for a moment, I want to know what life is like.” Being an artist means channeling all the love you have into your creations, and generously sharing that love with yourself and others.
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