Take Care series, 2018, watercolour & photoshop

Be Gentle, Hold Tight
Please
Give Love

“I created this work while going through a really hard time this semester. I was experiencing school-based anxiety and depression, and was so busy that I never got to see any of my friends or do any of the things I enjoy. Sometimes I would even forget to feed myself. It got to a point where I needed to stop and step back from it all to realize that my physical and mental health are more important than how well I am doing in school.

I was inspired to create a triptych of artworks that were instructions for taking care of oneself. With the watercolour backgrounds and gentle lines of the bodies, these images emanate calmness. Be Gentle, Hold Tight, Please, and Give Love provide simple instructions for the viewer to follow in the hopes that it offers them at least a little peace. I also wanted to create an image that expressed the stress-relieving qualities of masturbation, often forgotten about as a form of self-care, especially for people with vaginas.”

–Olivia Deresti-Robinson