Sprouts

During my awkward teenage years, I often believed I was… ugly.

I know—it sounds harsh. But at the time, it felt true.
It didn’t weigh too heavily on me, though; I had convinced myself that I would never marry, so what did appearances matter?

Then love found me.
And heartbreak, too.
I was betrayed, and my heart shattered in a way only young hearts can.

But from that heartbreak, something unexpected blossomed: I found self-care.
I bloomed in ways I never imagined.
I gained confidence, ventured into the world, tried new things, lived with a vibrancy that was once foreign to me.

I remembered a moment from high school, when a close friend once told me she imagined herself as a blooming rose whenever she felt low.
I tried to adopt that imagery… but it didn’t fit.
Roses, beautiful and dramatic, never felt like me.

Instead, my mind wandered back to the aloe vera plants that grew quietly in my family’s old garden.
Aloe vera isn’t traditionally beautiful. Its leaves are thick, spiky, plain.
But inside, it holds healing.
It soothes, nourishes, and strengthens.

If I were to be anything, I would be an aloe vera—or perhaps a sprout.
Small, unseen, quietly pushing through the dark soil, reaching for the light.

Even now, as a professional, a wife, a mother, a friend, a daughter…
I am still pushing through.
Still searching for the purest version of myself.
Still growing.
Still blooming—in my own quiet way.

And this artwork reflects that journey:

A colorful, seamless pattern of vibrant geometric arches in blue, pink, and purple hues dances across the canvas, interwoven with stylized leaves. It is a harmonious blend of nature’s resilience and the elegance of modern design—a quiet celebration of growth, self-discovery, and the beauty found in becoming.