Flowers of hope

Flowers of hope is one of my best projects as a creative so far because it has given me a metaphor of love & life which I never got from my previous works. Although I loved to create jewelry, dresses & paintings I never had a personal connection to my projects or hobbies. When I would be alone in my creative space I would just grab some jewelry wires & charms to make a cool pair of earrings . Maybe grab some fabrics from my bin & sew a pretty dress. Or I would get a blank canvas & let the vibrant colors speak for me. During the pandemic last year my family got some shocking news my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. I watched my aunt go from a vibrant active woman to being scared that she wouldn't be alive to watch her children graduate, losing her hair and barely being able to walk or speak. You never know how you handle certain situations until it hits home or happens to someone you love. For the first time I saw my uncle be vulnerable, he was always so strong & barely showed any emotions. To watch him breakdown seeing his lifelong partner be in so much pain was a touching moment. It scared me because it showed me how unpredictable or unfair life can be. One day could be filled with happiness the next day could be filled with fear or uncertainty.Of course I wanted to ask her a million questions, like what stage are you? , when will your treatments be over. I wanted to inspire her spiritually with words of wisdom, courage & strength but I was left speechless. In that moment I became inspired to create the pandemic really put a hold on my creative juices but with her diagnosis I became inspired with a new idea flowers of hope. I turned to my tools which were scissors, rhinestone adhesives, artificial flowers & a vase.The rhinestone adhesives represented the sun meaning that even if she felt like she was in a dark place there would be light at the end. The green flowers represented me wishing her good health & rejuvenation after the storm is over. The days she would go in for chemotherapy she would have to lay down for hours in complete silence because it made her body so weak .The pink flowers I picked was a way of me speaking to her wishing her happiness & grace along this journey. She doesn't smile as much like she use too but when its over I cant wait to see her be happy again laughing without a care in the world.

The green onion grass sprays represented my hope that she will rise & overcome cancer that she will not be a victim but a victor. After completing The flowers of hope I made for her it reminded me how symbolic it is to what the world is going through right now. It may not be cancer but so many families this past year have felt these emotions during the pandemic. From being scared not knowing if they would make it. Losing family members, their jobs or even their way of life. I can only imagine how many strong people had no choice but to be vulnerable & breakdown to each other. It made me have a connection to my work which I never had before it gave me purpose, inspiration & love. I refused to buy real flowers because I didn't want the flowers to die. I chose the artificial flowers because like life it doesn't need to be watered to keep going. In life at the very core to survive the darkest chapters you just need flowers of hope.