It Should Not have been Ordinary

Across the winter and early spring, I experienced a profound resurgence of trauma-related difficulties. This work was made in communication with my inner world at that time. The process of making this collection of art drove a profound internal change.

I struggled with what to name this collection. I considered something about the aftermath of trauma. Any use of the past tense felt false. And yet, none of this is happening now. Even though I’ve grown up and healed and lived a full life, part of me continues to live in the most horrific moments of my life.

Like many people who experience years of abuse from early childhood, this was my life. So many things that happened routinely, that began to feel normal, should never have happened at all. The same is true of how it shaped my life and at times impacts me on a daily basis. None of this should have been ordinary. But of course, it all became so.