I can remember the first time somebody stopped what they were doing, gathered other people around, and openly admired something I made.

That somebody was my mother. The power of her pride filled me up with a positive momentum that somehow made me feel more connected not just to her, but to the world. She planted a seed of encouragement in me that I desperately needed as a child.

It felt amazing. It felt like nothing else. She birthed my appetite for creating, experimentation, and exploring new ideas, which gave me an inner peace that nothing else had done before that, and nothing has since.

I created these mashup arrangements of figures and bursting bouquets blooming together as one to symbolize that we are all very much like a flower; affected by our environment, and in constant need of being strengthened in order for us to grow. This collage is not only dedicated to my mother, but to every mother who is a blind believer in all that their children dare to be.