Starseed, 1: A Diary (PB) (2019)

I was tired of being sad. So I wrote; and I sketched. Each illustration depicts how it felt to really feel the various emotions that, up until this point in my life, I had feared and suppressed. I feel like, as a society, we have been conditioned to believe that being sensitive equates to weakness. And that is just not true. I previously taught in a Title I school elementary school for six years and each year the amount of my students who experience anxiety and depression increases. I know that this is a direct result of the toxicity of the oppression, poverty, and lack of opportunity that define the majority of my students' lives and I am sick of this impact disproportionately being felt by little black and brown kids, kids in low- socioeconomic areas, and people in margianalized communities. I know my students want to be hopeful about the future of our planet, as well as their own lives and the lives of their loved ones, but I know they feel this feat is almost impossible given the enormity of the challenges that are systemically and historically stacked against them. My intention with this project, StarSeed, is to raise the collective by promoting deep self- love and awareness. Not only is StarSeed a story of one's journey to reconnect, it is also a coloring book to ease anxiety and encourage creativity, a journal with space for the owner to tell their own unique story using any medium of their choosing, and a call to all to be kind to themselves, help others, and take care of Mama Earth.

To all of my wonderful little hopeful souls, my Seedlings, plant and grow love. The world needs you!

Stay up- to- date on Project StarSeed's progress by following on Instagram @Indigosketches.