Fruits of Purpose

Maya O.

• Artist Statement

  Recently, I started to feel discouraged about the state of the world. With conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and politics at home, it started to feel like the world was irreparably broken. Poetry has been a passion of mine since sixth grade; it’s been a critical way for me to work out thoughts and feelings. So when I began to feel this way about the world, I naturally turned to poetry, which helped me process and understand my feelings about the world and my place in it.

• Creative Statement

  Creativity is a critical connection between the feelings inside us and the outside world. It's the way we translate and distill emotions to communicate with other people. This process forces us to reckon with our own challenges and ideas.