high tide

Nina G.

• Artist Statement

  high tide is a poem born from memory, grief, and the small places where loss settles. I wrote this piece to capture the emotional turmoil of returning to a place made special by someone who is no longer there. Using the ebb and flow of the ocean, especially its long-distance relationship with the moon, I was able to explore how connection never stops, even if one half is gone. Despite the proximal distance between them and their inability to truly communicate, the ocean and the moon work in unison to create something beautiful, which I believe is a reflection of the mourning process. The imagery I used to juxtapose childhood joys and young adult realization invites the readers into that tension between beauty and ache and helps them realize how landscapes hold the people we miss.

• Creative Statement

  Creativity, to me, is the act of transforming a feeling into words. It is the ability to take an experience—pain, curiosity, joy—and turn it into something accessible to everyone. Creativity is an empathy bridge and is crucial to a shared understanding and community.