Iowa
Survivor
Twist on Cancer: Being diagnosed with cancer has really opened my eyes and made me realize the need to slow down and take in different experiences to learn from. You never know when a life-changing diagnosis may happen to you or your family.

Artist Statement: This experience has been one of fulfilling surprises. In the Midwest, we all know what gets you through any particularly hard thing is worrying about your to-do list. What’s for dinner? Who needs clothes? Who has homework? What’s left to fix? What’s left to clean? The work is never done. ‘Memories from That Future Trip’ solidifies some of the ‘what-if wonders’ that build how we envision the future. The Inspiration I worked with had the memories from past cruises and family trips, bolstering ideas of a future cruise to Alaska. This Inspiration also had a pregnancy surprise in the family, as she was diagnosed with a second round of the same cancer.
How can one look ahead when the ground disappears and it’s one foot in front of the other to get the next thing checked off the list? These moments, when all the possibilities of potential futures are too big to hold any one single answer, to any one single question, can only be breathed through. My Inspiration and I both have a very practical way of dealing with the elements of life that are too large to tame. Stepping aside every once in a while for a moment just to be, just to breathe, just to look at a wall or a mirror alone. One moment to settle the mind and remember one day, this will be a future memory, like that future trip.