My name is Breezy. I have a BA in studio art with focuses in graphic design and printmaking from Columbia College. I paint & draw with various tools, sculpt, make linocut prints, design, photograph, and do various mixed media pieces. I am a 28 year-old lesbian, non-binary, chronically ill, bipolar, AuDHD person with C-PTSD who is active in sharing awareness for others like me while fighting for minorities and helping my community in every way I can.
Artist Statement
I grew up in abusive intense chaos and learned to survive by caring for others needs & wants instead of myself. I became a people pleaser who ignored my own needs, which led to my hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) symptoms worsening quicker than they should have as comorbidities piled up. During my first semester at Columbia College, as an art major, I completely lost control as my trauma caught up to me and I rejected who I was as a queer person. I had a two week stay in a psych ward and participating in art therapy there changed my life drastically.
Throughout the rest of undergrad, I used art to explore my identity, heal childhood trauma, and adapt to my worsening health. As pain and physical limitations increased, I learned to let go of perfectionism and comparison. Art became a coping tool—my way to express emotions, process my past, and heal. (And my art professors Aldrena, Morgan, and Mr. Nevitt, played a huge part in helping me heal & encouraging my art. As well as my art major bestie, Hunter. They all went above and beyond, truly saw me. I am forever thankful to them and their guidance.)
Being chronically ill, I am constantly waiting for tests, results, proper care, and support from physicians, while learning to be more patient with and advocate for myself in this hellscape of American “health care".
I used to hear, “Just wait, it will get better,” all the time and I never believed it. Now I understand that improvement didn’t mean my circumstances changing, but my mindset. The power was always within me—to change my perspective, control my narrative, keep creating, and fighting for myself despite physical, financial, and mental limits.
This piece is a reflection of how I have processed my health struggles, rejected negative self-beliefs, accepted my identity, and reflected on how my past shaped me, as I learn to practice radical self-acceptance. It represents my recovery and healing journey.
The work blends chaos, layers, and flow, focusing on feeling over technique. It represents the light within me that has dimmed but never died—a self-portrait of resilience, resistance, and refusal to conform to society’s expectations.
“wait for it” is an embodiment of me: a lesbian, non-binary, chronically ill, bipolar, AuDHD person with C-PTSD.
My hope is that sharing my story and my art will help empower & inspire individuals like me. To remind them that they hold the power over their story. That they are worthy, valid, and valuable. That they can persist, resist, and embrace their true identity. Together, we can restore our communities by restoring our hearts.
Wait for it, we shall rise...