Norlen, Alison2019-02-052019-02-052019-042019-02-05April 2019http://hdl.handle.net/10388/11868Lessons in life are vast. Throughout our life we are presented with a series of events, situations and people that I believe are necessary in developing our purpose, deepening our connection with others and most importantly ourselves. Some of these events are devastatingly hard and others profoundly blissful. The emotions we are presented with during these experiences however intense, remind me of the beauty in our humanity. The fact that we can feel, express, and exists in all states is the momentous gift of life. I have attempted over the course of this degree to speak as truthfully and candid as I can. There is sincerity and truth in vulnerability, something which I hold in the highest esteem. Change is constant and inevitable in life, yet one of the hardest things to accept in the human experience. Narratives have been presented to me since I was a little girl in the form of stories, fairy tales and expectations for how life is supposed to go and how I am to exist within it. Throughout the years my desire for control has grown as I desperately tried to cling to those narratives. For this thesis and exhibition, I take an in depth look to nature as my source for inspiration and as my teacher. There is a beautiful surrender in nature as it humbly accepts the changes of life’s passing seasons. It is through this observation I have learned that I may choose to struggle against the current, or allow myself to remain open to the flow of life’s changes, leading me to the deeper waters I seek. And although it is nice to hold hands with another it is my hands I will use to stay afloat.application/pdfSapientePCOSPolycystic Ovarian SyndromeSculpturePaintingShellsGoddessFruitSkinSexualityHealingFrida KahloPerformance ArtCrystalsNatural WorldNatureNew AgeSymbolismAnimal GuidesInfertilityIdentityRelationshipsHeartbreakLoveUltrasoundFemininityMasculinitySocial RolesFolktalesPersonal NarrativePersonal DiscoveryMother EarthFragmentationTraumaWaterWisdomFertility FigurinesAncient knowledgeNatural MedicineVaginaVulvaFemale Reproductive SystemMedicinal PlantsMemento MoriReligionDeathLifeThesis2019-02-05