art as my outlet

Growing up as a Korean adoptee was very difficult for me. All I ever wanted was to feel like I truly belonged and to live a "normal" life. I was adopted from South Korea and came to the U.S. when I was 8 months old. Not knowing my birth parents made me feel isolated and incomplete. It felt like a constant struggle to finally embrace that I was different and that it was okay. I turned to art hoping I could escape from reality and heal during a time of loss, confusion or sadness. 

Art became a necessary coping mechanism after my Mom was diagnosed with Cirrhosis. I was only a teenager at the time and the thought of losing my Mom absolutely terrified me. When my Mom passed away in 2011, everything changed including my work. I learned that the pain will never subside, but I've found that the darkest times in my life have only strengthened me as a person and has enabled me to become more innovative, thoughtful, honest and experimental in my work.