About the Piece

Reaching for What’s There explores the tension between emotional intuition and intellectual reasoning. Through a combination of illustration, photography, and embroidery, the piece visualizes a person trying to grasp what they’re feeling—or why they’re not feeling at all.

The central hand is not reaching toward a literal heart, but toward something invisible and internal: a metaphorical space where emotion resides. The form of the hand itself subtly echoes the structure of an anatomical heart, suggesting that the search for feeling is happening inwardly, within the body and mind.

Stitched lines form a ribcage beneath the surface—fragile yet grounding—while painted sparks radiate across the piece, symbolizing emotional energy and the movement of internal realization. Together, they mirror the push and pull between what we try to contain and what inevitably breaks through. This piece speaks to those who intellectualize their feelings, trying to understand them through logic instead of letting themselves feel. But emotions aren’t puzzles to be solved—they’re meant to be experienced.

Exhibition History

Exhibited in Connections: Senior Exhibition, Northern State University, Spring 2023.