I made this piece from a photo a few years ago, in response to heartbreak and grief. I called it Heart Crusher.

Recent personal and societal events have made it difficult to settle into creating. Everything feels loud and immediate. There has not been much space for art, or even for thinking about it.

But this piece came back to me.

I remembered how clearly it spoke for me then, and how much I needed that clarity at the time.

Heart Crusher is not only about pain. It is about recognition. It reminds me that I have felt this level of grief and anger before, and that I did come through it. Changed, yes, but still here.

Maybe it will speak to you, or for you, too.