Reflection on "A Collection of Homes"

A Collection of Homes

During the Fall semester, Robin, the student portrayed in this piece, created these intricate lantern houses and from the moment I saw them, I was inspired by their delicate beauty. Beyond this, I found myself drawn to her houses through a more symbolic reflection.

 I remember around six years ago doing a hypno-meditation, during which we were instructed to see unexpected opportunities or things we otherwise have not envisioned for ourselves in our future. Granted, our future is always changing because of free will, it is always exciting to see new possibilities that allow us to decide what path we want to go down in life. 

During this meditation, I remember seeing the imagery of a map with dots all around the world representing all the different people from different countries and places that I would connect with in my life and felt very excited by the idea. I have always found learning and experiencing other cultures fascinating and like many, dreamt of traveling the world. 

One year later, I went on my first international trip to Bali and got to both immerse myself in another culture and meet people from multiple different countries while doing volunteer work. I'd like to say that this trip was a dream, but honestly, while I have many fond memories of being there, the trip was also quite difficult, and I look back on it as a time of learning how to manage the challenges of traveling in foreign places–and by myself. 

Two years later, I moved to Florence, Italy to study abroad for two semesters during the Fall of 2021 and Spring of 2022. During the Fall semester, it was the school’s first semester back from COVID and there were only about twenty students in total. It was an extremely unique and memorable time and fortunately, a lot of us immediately became great friends. Although within our friend group, we were all Americans– we came from all over the United States. Beyond my peers, I also had the opportunity to connect with the staff, faculty, and students from the Spring semester and all together I developed several friendships and connections I believe will last a lifetime. On top of that, I have also had the opportunity to connect with people from other countries while traveling around Europe that have made my experiences much more memorable. 

Finally, in January of 2024, I moved back to Florence to do a year-long artist’s residency. During this past year, I have had the chance to connect with more international people than before that have broadened my perspective on daily life, values, beliefs, and how I approach and view the world and the people in it. Since 2022, I have lived with people from the United States, Italy, Columbia, China, Spain, Germany, Argentina, India, and Australia. I have also shared a studio space with people from Japan, Serbia, Italy, Canada, Germany, Argentina, and Armenia and all I can say is that it has been truly wonderful. I have met and gotten to know so many amazing people and have learned so many things about other cultures that I would have probably never known if I had never met them. 

Nevertheless, what I didn't know before I went to all of these places and connected with all these remarkable people was the challenges of making friends in faraway lands. It seems obvious but when you think about getting to travel and meet people from other cultures, you only think about the exciting parts. Not to say I regret my choices, but no matter where I am there is always someone I miss in another part of the world, and I have learned to accept that this feeling will always be lingering. No matter where I am or who I am with, there are people out there, somewhere else, that hold a part of my heart. 

We call our house our home, but as most of us can agree, home is not a place but a feeling. When I sit in my heart, I feel like I am home. When I meet with my study abroad friends for our reunion, there is a warmth and peace that feels like home. Over time I have felt this when I go to my studio space here in Florence and see my studio mates. When I get together with my friends from grade school there is always an immediate comfort and warmth that is in the air. In a way, it is good because no matter where I am, I can Facetime a friend and feel a little bit better, and the weight of the world that I tend to place on my shoulders starts to feel a little bit lighter, but it is not the same as being physically together. Therefore, even if the symbolism might be a little cliche, I think that's okay because in this moment I am looking at my painting and seeing all these beautiful, magical, little houses that Robin created and how to me, they represent my friends and my family and how they make me feel when I’m with them. So even if I sometimes feel like a puzzle that's never going to feel complete, I can live with that, because if I did my life all over again, I would make all the same decisions so I could meet each and every one of them once more

**Oh, and fun fact, I based the locket in the painting off of the heart shaped locket I have been wearing almost every day for over a year.