**The Transformative Power of Upcycled Art: A Deep Dive into My Creative Journey**
# **The Transformative Power of Upcycled Art: A Deep Dive into My Creative Journey**
## **Introduction**
Art is not just a form of expression—it is survival. For me, upcycled art is alchemy: the process of taking what has been broken, discarded, or deemed worthless and transforming it into something powerful, beautiful, and meaningful. My work is born from trauma, grief, resilience, and defiance. It is a reclamation—not just of discarded materials, but of my own narrative.
In this essay, I will explore:
- The **healing power** of upcycled art as a means of processing trauma.
- The **political and social messages** embedded in my work, including vaccine advocacy and critiques of systemic abuse.
- The **stories behind key pieces**, such as the *Kamala Harris* assemblage and others that embody my survival.
- How **loss, pain, and reclamation** shape every fragment I assemble.
This is not just an artist’s statement—it is a testimony of survival, a call to awareness, and a refusal to be silenced.
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## **Art as Survival: The Intersection of Trauma and Creation** 
### **The Weight of Loss: Ohrin Samwise James Preslar**
My son, Ohrin, was born prematurely on December 28, 2002, at 35 weeks. He was tiny, fragile, and perfect. But because of his size, he was not strong enough to receive vaccinations. At just over four months old, on May 6, 2003, he contracted **Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)**—a virus that, for most, is a mild cold, but for preemies, can be fatal.
His death was preventable. **Vaccines save lives.** Had he been stronger, had his immunity been more robust, had misinformation not discouraged some from immunizing their children—perhaps he would still be here. This loss is woven into my art. When I use broken glass, fractured electronics, or medical waste in my pieces, I am also speaking of **fragility, protection, and the systems that fail the vulnerable.**
### **The Scars of Incest and Forced Silence**
My father was a predator. The abuse I endured was compounded by the **Mormon religious framework** that demanded obedience, purity, and silence. When I was raped by a boy in our community, my family **forced me to marry him**—because in their eyes, my "virtue" was already lost, and marriage would "cleanse" the sin.
This is why my art often incorporates **religious texts, shattered porcelain (symbols of false purity), and restraints (like chains or wire)**—materials that speak of **control, broken dogma, and the cages of expectation.**
### **My Mother’s Suicide: The Legacy of Pain**
When I was 19, my mother took her own life. She had been broken by the same system that tried to break me.
right: my self in my 30s
Her death was a culmination of **unspoken suffering, religious repression, and the unbearable weight of being a woman in a world that demanded her silence.**
In my work, I use **fragmented mirrors, faded photographs, and hollowed-out frames**—ghosts of what once was, reminders of the **invisible wounds** we carry.
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## **Why Upcycled Art? Because I, Too, Was Discarded**
Upcycling is not just an artistic choice—it is a **metaphor for survival.** Society throws away what it does not value: people, objects, truths. But I take what has been deemed useless and give it new meaning.
