The Fear of Dressing Up 2001 The First Time 2001 Fly Away 2001 Uncomfortable Dress 2001 Pull 2001   Open Me Up 2001 Sun Symbol 2001 Pink Suffocation 2001 The Youth 2001 Tied 2001   Crush 2001 Blond Girl 2001 Calling Names 2001 Keep 2001 Passing Notes 2001   More Mixed Media here

Sweet Girl
Mixed Media Series 2000-2001
 
I have always been attracted to the word girl rather than woman. I’m not sure why, in a way it seems broader. I know it is a personal belief but I’ve always believed it allowed more room for thought. I see the word girl more as an adjective rather than a noun.
It is easy to associate a lot of negative ideas with the term girl. It can be easily assumed that immaturity; irresponsibility, stupidity and other annoying characteristics have been shoved onto the word "girl". A girl could be all these terms, but I know plenty of women who also combine all these qualities to a similar degree.
When I think about the term girl and I work with ideas that revolve around being a girl; I’m talking about something completely different. I don’t view being a girl, rather than a woman as negative; it is honesty and it is a confession. It is being open about the facts that I might not be perfect, that I could be very clever and naïve at the same time, that I am still not confident in who I am as a person. It opens up for growth and wonder and mistakes. That is all I can ask of myself. I like to portray and explore many different aspects and emotions: curiosity, sexuality, insecurity, openness and wickedness.
Maybe, it is partially the Peter Pan syndrome; the worry of growing old and closed minded and set in our same old ways. That is true. That is another reason why I am attracted to the term girl. It reflects youth, which in turn reflects further growth and exploration in both a serious and playful manner.
The term youth or young can apply to anyone of any age. It is a state of mind and not a reflection of a number. I guess what I’m trying to say is, when I explore being a girl and I portray the image of "girls"; I am exploring the idea that all these feelings of wonder and insecurity of inexperience and youth, follow us through out our lives. Rather we want to admit it or not, we all battle with a lot of the same confusion, fear and fun we experienced when we were younger. Though I am a woman now I like to think of myself as a girl because I am really still learning.