My art underscores the idea that life is intricate. Nothing in life is simple—every moment is complex, filled with positive and negative experiences and emotions. I strive to depict this complexity through layers of meaning, both physically and conceptually.
I am drawn to processes that utilize layers, especially abstract digital collage. My thoughts are often overlapping—a hint of an emotion, a specific color, that one texture. When words in a journal cannot fully express the intensity of an emotion, and a photograph cannot fully convey my line of thought, I find it necessary to synthesize them. Art allows me the opportunity to understand what I feel and to become vulnerable with the world. I seek to portray moments of honest introspection.
"Recollection" is a series of digital collages based on songs that have been important to me throughout my life. These collages aim to answer the question, “How can graphic design allow others to clarify the past through memory that is linked to song?” I am fascinated by the way that music can encapsulate so many memories and emotions, so I sought to explore this connection visually. When I began this project, I intended for each collage to represent roughly one year of my life: twenty-one collages for the previous twenty-one years of my life. Although each collage still represents about one year, I realized along the way that many of these collages actually represent my memories of people. All my life, I have immortalized all kinds of relationships—family, friends, and romantic interests—through music. These collages depict songs, but they also depict all of the memories that I have collected and the people I love the most.
Click here to listen to a Spotify playlist that contains all twenty-one songs, or scan the code below using Spotify's in-app scanner to access the playlist.
01. Close To You | carpenters
My story begins with my parents’ love, a string of data indicating that my mom was pregnant, a blurry ultrasound of me. I’ve always associated this song with their love because my dad often sang it to my mom at random times when I was young.
Featured: my ultrasound photo and data, the cover of my mom’s pregnancy journal
02. million pieces | newsboys
One of my earliest memories is dancing around my family room with my dad to this song. I was too young to realize the gravity of the situation when both of my parents were diagnosed with cancer when I was two years old. By God’s grace, they both survived. This song’s lyrics remind me that God has control over every situation and that I can trust Him with my burdens.
Featured: carpet from my house, fabric from one of my dad’s sweatshirts
03. how great thou art | chris rice
When both of my parents were battling cancer, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents—my mom’s parents. This hymn was one of my Pop-pop Ralph Weaver’s favorites. He and I often took walks up the mountain road near my grandparents’ house, picking flowers along the way for my grandmother Shirley. Although Pop-pop passed away when I was twelve years old, this hymn will always remind me of him.
Featured: flowers, trees, and foliage from my grandparents’ house
04. surfin' usa | The Beach Boys
My dad owns a record player, and younger me was obsessed with playing his old vinyls. My favorite was his Beach Boys “Endless Summer” album, which featured this song. The lyrics reminded me of my family’s favorite place to vacation—the beach—and the vibrant, joyful moments of summer.
Featured: part of a code that my dad and I developed for using walkie-talkies, doodles from my younger days, ripples in water
05. the rubberband man | the spinners
Although my dad had a busy job, he always made sure to spend time with me when he came home from work. He often played music on our CD player after dinner, and I danced around the family room with carefree abandon. This song will always remind me of evenings spent dancing in the family room with my parents.
Featured: my family room recliner, old toys, one of my dad’s shirts
06. Lord, I lift your name on high | Petra
I attended a small Christian school from kindergarten to eighth grade, and we often sang this praise song during Tuesday chapel services. Those were the golden days of my childhood—no worries, just jubilant worship.
Featured: old toys, fabric from one of my old shirts
07. fly me to the moon | frank sinatra
Robert Motsay, my Italian grandpa, loves old, “big-band” music from the 1940s and 1950s. Thus, a classic by Frank Sinatra seems like the perfect song to characterize him. My grandma Jean, his wife, passed away when I was seven years old, but this song will always remind me of their love and the time we shared before her passing.
Featured: fabric from my grandma’s sweater, foliage from near my grandparents’ house
08. indescribable | chris tomlin
This song was one of my favorites to sing in church as a child. I loved the lyrics’ descriptive nature, as they incorporated various elements of creation. The music always filled me with a sense of overwhelming peace and calm as I pondered God’s incredible omnipotence.
Featured: photos of my church and a sunset
09. lo how a rose e'er blooming | manheim steamroller
When I was nine years old, I began clarinet lessons. As I learned more about the technical side of music, my love for music deepened. I spent many hours staring at notes and practicing compositions over and over again, and this process taught me the value of perseverance. I performed this song a few years later at a school concert.
Featured: a clarinet key, sheet music
10. hey stephen (Taylor's version) | Taylor Swift
My friend Helen introduced me to Taylor Swift through this song when I was ten years old. She told my friend Abbi and me to sing a different boy’s name instead of Stephen—coincidentally, the name of Abbi’s crush at the time. That conversation ended with a mortified Abbi chasing a laughing Helen all over my house. I will forever be grateful to Helen for leading me to the artist who produces the most consistently relatable music I have listened to in my life. Taylor Swift has the incredible ability to write songs that embody emotions I have never known how to explain. I love this song for its feeling of simplicity and its reminder of a young, innocent love.
Featured: material from old shirts, my journal entries
11. who says | selena gomez & the scene
I saw the movie “Monte Carlo” featuring Selena Gomez in the theater with my friend Katherine when we were eleven years old, and the movie credits featured this song. “Monte Carlo” took place in various locations throughout Europe, which sparked my desire to travel. The lyrics also reminded middle school me to keep my head up despite insecurities. This song will always remind me of my friendship with Katherine.
Featured: my Monte Carlo movie ticket, old photos of school friends
12. Gone, gone, Gone | Phillip Phillips
I consider this song my middle school anthem because it reminds me of the fun times that my friend group shared. If you listen to music while driving, you understand the importance of staying in the car until a really good song finishes, even if you have already reached your destination. My friend Katherine and her mom introduced me to this practice when they finished listening to this song before they left their car. These lyrics always cut to my core because I have undying love for all my childhood friends even though I have not heard from them in years.
Featured: a quote about friendship that I wrote in my journal, cards from Dutch Blitz (my friend group’s favorite game)
13. Verge | Owl City ft. Aloe Blacc
My childhood best friend Abbi loved Owl City’s music, therefore I also loved Owl City. I discovered this song about a year after we graduated from middle school but have always associated it with my middle school days. Leaving the Christian school that I had attended for nine years to begin public high school was scary. I did feel like I was out on the verge of the rest of my life—an exhilarating feeling—and this song empowered me.
Featured: notes from each of my four closest friends before we parted ways to attend different high schools
14. Resonance | home
When I began public high school in a district with about 700 kids per grade, I felt like a small fish in a humongous ocean—just floating along with the current. I think this song’s vibe captures that feeling pretty well. This experience forced me to break out of my comfort zone and begin establishing myself in a new environment. I took a few art courses, and leaning into my newfound skills excited me. At the age of fourteen, I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I can see now how God was already pointing me in the right direction.
Featured: eighth grade graduation photos, a note from my parents before I began high school, doodles from early high school
15. paradise | coldplay
Once I reached sophomore year of high school, I felt like I was beginning to understand the inner workings of public school. However, I never quite fit in with the students that had grown up in that environment. I felt as though I was still searching for a place that I truly belonged. As I navigated new friendships and crushes, I was searching for my own “Paradise.”
Featured: a poem I wrote that year, the sunset from the evening of my first high school party
16. stressed out | 21 pilots
I have always associated this song with my church friends ever since a church youth group retreat during which we created a skit and dance to accompany this song. I never would have survived the ups and downs of high school without my church friends by my side. Emily, Holly, and Shalee, I will always be thankful for you.
Featured: material from a church shirt, a journal entry from that year
17. safe and sound | capital cities
My junior year of high school was a whirlwind. I found a more established friend group, created many fun memories with friends, and began to realize that high school could actually be pretty fun. Despite difficulties, I found joy in small moments.
Featured: a journal entry from that year, my prom dress, an early morning sunrise that I photographed while walking to school
18. be thou my vision | celtic worship
It was a divine coincidence that I had the opportunity to sing this hymn at both my eighth-grade graduation and during the candlelight service on the first night of my college career. This hymn set the tone for a new experience as I transitioned to independent living, almost two hours away from the only home I’d ever known. I knew as long as I kept my eyes on God, He would guide my steps.
Featured: photos from senior prom, journal entries about my high school graduation
19. bigger than i thought | sean curran
I was first introduced to this song at Powerhouse, the student-led worship session held every Thursday night at Messiah. In a season during which I often fell into overthinking and was unsure of my future, this song reminded me that God’s plan is far above anything I could imagine. Despite the unknowns, I leaned into God, trusting in His will.
Featured: photos from a trip with friends, an entry from my prayer journal
20. anything 4 u | lany
I always turn to my mom in times of crisis, and there were plenty of friendship- and relationship-related crises during this year. My mom once told me, “Because you’re an only child, you care about your friends like they’re your siblings,” and I think about this quote often. My mom’s words revealed to me the depths of loyalty, which is a major theme in this song. My mom helped me to realize that my fierce loyalty to others can be detrimental to myself at times; it can cause cracks in my own foundation. Thank you for always being there for me, Mom.
Featured: photos from various outings with friends, stacked wood blocks in a woodshop, and seven layered pages of text
21. graveyard | Halsey
This was the year of contradictions as I continued to discover the blessing and curse of my loyalty to others. Although, I was ready to follow some people to the grave, I didn’t realize they were shoveling dirt onto the casket that they were closing on me. This year I trusted, and I was betrayed. I loved and I lost. I held onto hope and lost it completely, then had to rebuild it. I experienced the lowest points of my life, but I also discovered my true friends and made some of the best memories of my life with them. I cried harder than I’ve ever cried, but I also laughed harder than I’ve ever laughed. God showed me that there is beauty in the pain and that He is with me every step of the way.
Featured: photos from graveyards, a prayer that I wrote
