When deciding what to do with my art, I like gut reactions.

It follows a pattern, sure; eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, ears.... Maybe it's more of a compulsive habit than a thought-out structure. But it never starts as a complete vision of inspiration. I don't see what it looks like until I finish.  I use my intuition when creating a new piece. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. I cook dinner the same way. Sure, I observe the craft from others' perspectives and learn techniques and foundational rules. But ultimately, when creating something, I am listening to my gut. I take what I've learned into consideration, but I learn by doing. Not everything I create is a representation of my worth. It is a product of processing, exploring, and investigating. 

I put a lot of myself into my work. 

How I feel about myself, others, and gender. I don't want the gender to be clear and discernible. Every assumption you make about the identity of the characters in my work can be debated. Maybe that is me being combative, but what truly defines a gender? When I see my body, I don't see a woman. Others may disagree but I am not the sum of my classified parts, there is a certain je ne sais quoi, a masculine swagger that is irrefutably flamboyant, but butch nonetheless. A clunky and eclectic assortment of attributes. Maybe I'm diving too deep into a shallow pool. It's not that deep. But if it's not that deep, why are members of my community being legislated out of the freedom to exist? Murdered over put upon shame and fear. 

So when drawing, I like to keep it ambiguous. When I draw, I intend to draw the essence of someone. A personality trait or emotion peaking through. A glimpse of a detail in a greater story. Something that makes your mind wander and fill in the blanks. Our inherent biases become clear, that this isn't someone random. 

It is a reflection of who we are when we think no one is watching.