This project was inspired by my earlier work, Mind the Gap, where I first recognized the value of a thorough creative process before beginning a painting. For this piece, I directed a photoshoot in which my subject pressed her hands against a sheet of glass, creating the illusion of separation. I envisioned a dreamlike scenario where the subject and viewer appear divided by a barrier—an effect that exists only as paint on canvas.

At the time, I was navigating a period of heightened anxiety. Amid various pressures, I found myself caught in cycles of irrational thoughts and persistent worry. I felt confined by my surroundings and sought to express that sense of tension visually. The result became one of my most successful works, ultimately selected for display in my senior BFA exhibition.