ARTIST STATEMENT

Ever since I was young, I enjoyed creativity. I would do anything from painting, to dressing up, to using my imagination. I was born with mild autism and hearing loss. My art was my ability to express to the world my point of view as a disabled person. And what was the point of view? That point of view was that each disabled person is valid in existence in today’s society despite the lack of validity we face. That point of view was that each disabled person’s processing of information is valid. That each disabled person has the ability to feel. That a deaf person experiences the world with their eyes, not their ears. That an autistic person experiences the world with their five senses more strongly than the neurotypical. That a disabled person experiences discrimination in society, biases, isolation, anxiety, depression and so on. Disabilities should not only be included in society, but be celebrated. And that’s exactly what I’m doing with my art. I’m celebrating my unique gift that my disability has actually given me. My autism has given me the ability to paint. My deafness has given me the ability to see the world’s beauty that I translate into my art. Through my application, I try to use photography as references, vibrant uses of color and broad strokes. I hope people will see from my art the deaf perspective, the autistic perspective and the disabled perspective through storytelling of places, and my application of medium.