Aliyah

I See Me

As you see here, I'm wearing a pair of pants and a shirt with the same green flower pattern because I was wearing a matching pajama set. Please notice I put jewels on my portrait. I placed one of the blue shiny jewels on my ear because, at that time, my sister and I went to the mall to get my first ear piercings. They started to fall out later that week, so she gave me a pair of her earrings. It was nice because it reminded me of her. Another place I put a jewel was on my wrist because I was wearing a bracelet that my mother had bought me last year when my school had Spirit Week. On the last day, we saw a nice colorful bracelet with some chains that looked like red feathers and sparkled in the sunlight. I chose to put those jewels on so my portrait could show how I see myself shine and make the portrait bright.

I love this portrait because the color patterns remind me of my mom and me. Her favorite color is green, and the patterns remind me of nature because they have a flower-like shape. This brought me joy because the breeze coming into the art room felt calming and relaxing—plus, I hadn’t done something like this before in art. It was a fun experience to learn something new and be creative in a different way. I want you to notice the backstory of the way I placed my accessories. They have deep meaning to me because they reflect experiences and gifts from family members I love and care about. But it wasn’t always like this—I struggled at first. I didn’t really like doing the art; I thought it was hard, stressful, and annoying. But over time, it got better as I worked more. I improved, faced my challenges, and got help when I needed it. That eventually led to my art being finished and displayed here. 

My portrait is a love letter to myself, my mom, and my sister. I dedicate this to myself for all the hard work I put into this project, to my mom who inspired the colors in my clothing, and to my sister who inspired the earring and represents our great sibling bond.