Convergence divided.

Convergence Divided is a fine-art based body of work that shows an external manifestation of my personal identity as it deals with big divisions in life. This fine art conceptual self-portrait and landscape series explores spirituality as it intersects with identity in memory and dreams. The images do not follow a linear timeline but are a poetic journey that combine personal life experiences with spiritual beliefs, dreams, and goals.

While spending time working in another country, I had a devastating loss in my family. I could not be where I wanted at that time, which was with my loved ones. I was alone. I poured my heart and soul into work, trying to manage my thoughts and feelings. I constantly felt stuck somewhere when I wanted to be somewhere else. I felt like I was not in the real world at times, but stuck in a dream. So often, in life we feel split-between places, who we are versus who we want to be, how we see ourselves or how others perceive us, where we are going and where we were.  

For centuries, dreams were interpreted as a look into our psyche or our deep unconscious. They are considered important to our mental health, allowing our brains to sort out life while we sleep. They have been thought of as divine knowledge from higher powers, ways to deal with trauma, or a combination of memories from our lives. Every dream is considered to have a symbolic knowledge that when interpreted can help us in our daily lives. Yet today, there still are not any real answers as to what dreams actually mean, how they affect our lives, and what we can learn from them, making them seem ambiguous. These images illustrate the dream like state I felt I was in as I dealt with the collision of my own two worlds.