“The Universe is made up of stories, not atoms.”

-Muriel Rukeyser

Through story and archetype descriptions I explain and understand my creative process. Carl Jung defined an archetype as the experience of a race which is present in the unconscious of the individual. Caroline Myss wrote extensively on archetypes in her book entitled Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential. These ideas have supported me in understanding my experiences in a larger context. Archetypes represent the fundamental learning experiences which are meant to guide us in our lives. They connect personal experiences to the universal experiences, thus connecting us to humanity.

The intention I set upon embarking on this art journey was to move out of the boxed story of my life in order to create a different perspective to direct and inform my past and future life and self. Stories are who we are but we create our experience of them within ourselves. This premise as the creator of my story lead me to build a way to a new identity.

The following pages describe my art and process. It is my story, but it is also the story of the adoptee. This was my realization after the art piece was completed. The work of the archetype had indeed performed an alchemy of sorts. I realized that my personal story connected perfectly with the universal story and stages of the adoptee on their healing journey. It is with the desire to connect with other adoptees and to ignite a passion for continued journeying towards healing that I exhibit this work.