My piece's represent my mental struggle in middle school. The clay sculpture shows how I felt like I had to feel. I felt like I always had to be happy and cheery so that I wouldn't make others sad. I was hiding behind a happy mask and keeping all my problems to myself letting them bottle up until I felt like exploding. During my middle school years, my mental health was going terribly. I always felt stressed, always had anxiety, and always felt like a burden. I used clay and my computer to write/mold up my feelings to show my emotions. I'm currently doing much better due to friends and the support I need. I hope these will help people with understanding mental health better, or helping some get out of the chaos that it causes.

Kathryn Ferrara