Still Growing
20”x24”
Acrylic on canvas
Matthew Herrera
Everything needs an outlet. Throughout my whole life, I had to overcome an obstacle, which was keeping stress to myself. It started when my parents were arguing a lot, and that lead to me not sharing my feelings. Not sharing my feelings lead to an immense amount of stress, even at the age of eight. My friends helped me be more positive, but there was still no outlet. My girlfriend asked me to tell her a story about my childhood. That was when everything switched. I was hesitant to tell her, but it was my chance to finally feel free. When I told her, I felt relaxed and like 300 pounds were lifted off my shoulder. I am visually expressing where my power comes from through a plant that grows despite negative things (the boot and the thunderstorm) and thrives with positive things (the sun).