Escaping the Prison of our Roots

‘It’s difficult to realize we’re in a prison if we don’t know what the bars look like. Once we do, it’s easier to escape and find freedom.’

I don’t remember where I heard or read it, but this absolutely moved me to my core. Like many people, I’m constantly trying to improve, grow and be the best version of myself I can be while also existing in a space of gratitude and being content with what IS.

Making this piece was a deep process that required as much digging into the past as it did reaching up towards the sunlight of the future.

This work is about the poisonous patterns of family roots and realizing how easily imprinted one can be as a child - believing the self serving lies trusted adults tell them. As individuals, we grow to see our own truths and sometimes notice residue that isn’t ours to carry. We have choices to make. With some honest work over time, the voice in our head becomes our own. We love and accept ourselves for who we truly are.

The cold steel bars that pinned us down in a false reality become wet noodles that fall where they belong - into the compost pile to feed the worms and fertilize our future growth.

‘Escaping the Prison of our Roots’, Steel and Stainless Steel, in a private collection