Many have their own perceptions of what love is, how it’s expressed, and even who is deserving. I began to think about things associated with the subject of love, as well as different stories based on love, whether the end result is a happy ending or not. The image, which is featured in this piece, that inspired me to explore this narrative of a love story was by photographer Caroline Nguyen, which is a portrait of someone with their head being a red rose. Red roses can range from bright red to deep burgundy, and colors are often associated with mood and emotion. Seeing this burgundy rose standing alone in space brought my mind to think that although this particular flower is often admired and very much associated with love, romance, and beauty, not everyone has this connection.

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Loved: To Be or Not to Be, challenges the sad, but true reality is that not every person in this life feels loved, beautiful, or confident in themselves; I chose to use the rose to channel and visually show this, being the reverse of what is a typical association of a popular subject. This beautiful flower, when in bloom can be powerful and striking, representing one’s uplifted self, but once it is taken apart down to individual pedals, the feeling of scattered emotion, brokenness, even lost or neglected love becomes apparent.