Artist Statement

On my most recent trip to Utah, I had the opportunity to spend three days in Moab, hiking through the Arches National Park. While this specific event might seem like a relatively normal thing to do on a trip, it was an eye-opening and very inspirational experience for me. I have recently developed and discovered that I have a fairly severe fear of heights, something that has started to have an impact on certain things I used to without any hesitation. Hiking through the park’s trails, quickly gaining elevation, my anxiety level rose right alongside it. Hiking to the top of the park was something that I knew would make me uncomfortable, take me far out of my comfort zone. I remember a very similar feeling when I decided to leave Biology and switch to I-Design major. But, I have found that while these changes were incredibly hard to make because I was fearful of what could potentially happen, I have always been thankful and happy to have made the decision to jump.

The songs that I have chosen to accompany my pieces correlate with specific times in my life where a significant change or event has occurred, and I would have to take a leap of faith. These songs create a timeline, very personal, but all-important to the overall success of the series.

Once I reached the top of the Delicate Arch, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy fighting against my acrophobia. I realized though, once I had gotten back down to the bottom of the trail, this experience was very representative of my life thus far and the music I will listen to in these next few months will be permanently tied with my next phase in life, taking a giant leap and moving across the country to Utah.