I painted for a brief spell in college. In March 2022, I awoke one morning and knew it was time to paint again. The painting was different in this new time. It was as though a new part of me had blown open, and that it was filled with color and light and shadows of my beloved northwoods of Ontario. From that first burst–in which I painted more than 100 paintings in month–I have continued to explore connection with alterity as it guides me, dares me, invites me, and teaches me about beauty, nature, perception, and creative imagination.