Learning my self worth > Earning my self worth

Part of The Comfort House Project: Stay as long as you like

This linocut reduction print for Madi is less about soft comfort than it is about the joy and satisfaction of overcoming challenges, which provides a certain reassurance that resembles comfort.

Madison is my sister. Each protagonist depicted on the dark-green paper is a member of my immediate family. Like with Charles (dad), I spoke to Madi about comfort before I had figured out what my interview questions would be. The main question I remember about this initial conversation was "what do you like about yourself?" and her answer "...I like that I'm not judgemental." And so the inspiration behind this work was the wish, on my younger sister's behalf, that she could extend that lack of judgment to herself as well as she does to other people. Nearly a whole year later, during the same winter holiday that I interviewed my brother, Madi asked to be interviewed properly. She shared with me that she doesn't really understand what was comforting about the room I had already printed for her. It showed her existing outside of her comfort zone, mostly. Her comfort lives outside: hands in dirt, face in plants, sunlight on her skin. She finds joy in collecting bits of nature, and distress in the noise of too many people: cars, lawnmowers, and voices. Hearing protection is essential, especially at work. Her brain can be an enemy sometimes: "swirly, noisy goop". She wants to show up as a true version of herself not a work-in-progress. 

This room for Madi depicts an interior skatepark: pink and glowing with hanging vines, and multiple iterations of the same character. Younger and older versions of herself to project non-judgement onto (the older version should have chin-length hair but how were we to know?). There are affirming poem fragments in the form of graffiti. The saturated colour and experimental "lighting" give this a dreamy vibe that echoes the subject matter, combining reality and magic. I also think that based on the second conversation, Madison would enjoy spending time in Sofia's room.