Pressing flowers gave me a hobby that turned into art.
When I was a Junior in college I could not stop pressing flowers. The apartment complex I stayed at continuously kept Pansies as decoration. They were constantly in bloom and were constantly replaced with new plants so before I knew it I was neck high in pressed Pansies!
I am currently finishing my last class as an undergrad(it’s calculus and yep still working on it) and I have not slowed down a bit. However, my anxiety and depression have gotten to an all time high(Especially now). I am still battling with my emotions and I understand that I will always be predisposed to having anxiety and depression. However, I have learned during my time as a psychology major that self-care is most important. You cannot help anyone until you help yourself. Creating is one of the many ways anyone can use to combat the feelings that make us unhappy.
I happen to come across Josie Lewis's petri creations and was inspired to finally put my unusually large collection of pressed flowers to use! Her work has inspired me to combine the art of resin + alcohol ink with the dried flower art community. It has taken a lot of trial and error and I am no expert but, it makes me happy. Sometimes it can feel like nothing will make me happy but, I sit down and design pieces using the flowers I used as an outlet to create works of art that I want to share with all of you.
I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoyed creating it!