
Falling Asleep Before I Fall Apart
2023
Ink on paper
5.5 x 8.5 in
This artwork depicts an inverted dreamscape where buried feelings of anxiety and dread erupt above ground in a violent catharsis of physical disintegration. For a long time, sleep was my primary coping mechanism for crushing depression. But like many crutches, it was never a means of true escape—latent emotions and subconscious interpretations of trauma frequently came alive in dreams. As I drifted into slumber, I felt caught between two competing states: falling apart or falling asleep. In truth, however, they often converged.