Stephanie Baum

Occasionally I spend time watching my aquatic snail climb up then fall down the sides of the enclosure she’s in. While I find it amusing to watch her tumble, I cannot help but relate it to the world we live in and our struggle, not just as artists but as people working and making a living. You try so hard to climb, be it the corporate ladder or up the rungs of hierarchy in retail businesses or your career of choice. Even if it is an easy ladder to climb, or you have people on the inside who can get you places without trying, you can just as easily be knocked back down again, be it an illness, family struggles, or financial hardships. It’s okay. What matters is that you get back up again. In the Fall of 2019, I was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma, thyroid cancer. It was a struggle to keep up with appointments and daily life, even the simplest routine tasks. It was a tough time in my life, and I am just now finishing my radiation. At the end of the day, I come home and pass out. This is why I make art. It is an escape for me, be it working with clay, acrylic paint, my laptop and tablet, or writing it out. Whatever form it takes, it is a way for me to get my thoughts out there.

Repeat; ceramic and glaze