Nominated by Chicago State Univerisity My idea of art often focuses on the human form, it is where I often find beauty most often. As a black female artist that also means I find beauty in myself as well as my subjects who are usually women of color. I grew up in a time where black women were beginning to reclaim their beauty despite societal standards, and my work is a product of that. My art, in general, is not focused on physical beauty but the idea of sublime beauty, or a nonphysical beauty that I feel we possess. This means many of my pieces are not grounded in a physical plane, but rather in a space where my focus can be conveyed. Trying to convey the idea of different types of beauty in a way can be more free, in my experience, easier. The subject of my work changes often because of my graphic design major, which means sometimes my subject is not a woman, but instead is a book or poster that I need to create. When I am allowed my artistic freedom, or when I create work for myself, I often go many different directions. Being a graphic designer has allowed me to be able to express myself and style in a way that makes sense. Learning to format composition, text, and color often bleed into my work and has helped me grow as an artist.  Being able to create my images of beauty with the structure of graphic design has improved my art and helped me create many of my pieces. I want to be able to create with as much artistic freedom as I can and by learning what I can, I will be able to achieve that. In the end, many of my pieces have their own voice and identity that are often not related to my major, and this allows me to pursue many different artistic visions. Image: SZAE, digital media, 986x1268, 2018