Being a dancer was a huge part of my personal identity, I have been dancing since about the age I could walk. It has provided me with so much, how to be an athlete, building flexibility, discipline in many facets of my life and how to thrive rather than cower in front of an audience. But with all of these positive attributes there are a number of negatives dancers pick up along the way. 15.8% of all dancers end up with body dysmorphia and 16.4% end up with an eating disorder.
I have gone through my journey to recover from these conditions, but that little voice in your head telling you you aren’t good enough never truly goes away. Knowing this, I have done my best to become an advocate and a resource for those struggling with body image concerns. It has been a cathartic experience to be able to empathize with and help those who reach out to me, so I hope to continue through this project.
Vessel is an online gallery space created to document personal explorations examining ways we can use and depict our bodies in ways that generate joy rather than spur the compulsory critique that is expected and enforced by societal constructs of body image and value. Vessel invites you to walk through these explorations of motion, photography and fine art, and offers avenues to discover other contemporary artists creating related works to inspire visitors’ journeys past Vessel and consider the lens we use to view the body in both art creation and consumption moving forward.