Zine and Artist Statement

My zine is meant to show the journey of grief in a more optimistic light, as well as how the experience encompasses so much more than the clinical five stages of grief. The front and back cover are meant to show growth, where the flowers in the front are droopy and in need of water, but the one on the back is perfectly in bloom. It’s about emerging from something that makes you feel like you’ll never be whole again; where you’re not the same but a more fully developed version of yourself. The butterfly is a symbol of growth and is also considered a spiritual animal to many. The first collage is meant to show an overwhelming feeling of loss, where the flowers and messages from loved ones pile up but everything is jumbled and doesn’t make sense. Until the second to last image, there’s a journey of loneliness, struggle, and strife. The final image resolves a lot of the previous dark imagery and depicts finding peace as well as ways to remember and honor a person even years down the road. Grief will never be easy, but it won’t be all-encompassing forever.