Honesty takes courage. Through this body of work, the wearer carries the ability to boldly express honest statements while still retaining the human quality of doubt. The three jewelry pieces in “Awards of Affirmation” are iterations of my experience as a woman interacting with other people. The work takes aesthetic cues from bright colorful award ribbons in order to celebrate the wearer for having the courage to be so bold with these truthful statements.

! When the work is being worn, bold text is read on the front of the piece, displaying honest unfiltered thoughts considered unacceptable to say in public, and on the back of the piece will read self-doubting text, relating to the text on the front of the piece. The juxtaposition of the harsh text and the light playful exterior reference the ways in which honesty is best received. More often than not, the ego interferes with listening and comprehension, and an opposing viewpoint must be presented in a non- threatening way in order to just be heard, if at all comprehended.

I am interested in addressing communication methods and confronting the manner of presentation within individuals. These pieces aim to allow the viewer to read a statement that would be unacceptable in public but has been re-contextualized in a familiar wearable object, and to evaluate what thoughts they are filtering from the world. These wearable objects encourage self advocacy, challenging socially acceptable

communication methods, and honesty with the self using blunt text. I want my work to start conversations about how we express ourselves, how we communicate, how we self advocate, and how we recognize ourselves in our truths.