Megan Jean Messer

How people experience and cope with emotions is something that has captivated me for   many years. The knowledge I’ve acquired by observing how individuals express emotions and the actions they take to cope can allow for understanding, growth, and sympathy within individuals in a community. 
Working with clay is an important part of my life that provides a grounding experience. I am able to experience the clay in a repetitive, physical way that becomes very meditative; allowing my mind and emotions to settle into those physical rhythms and encourage those internal explorations. 
The vessel I chose to use for these unseen internal explorations is flora and fauna. I’ve always enjoyed being outside and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started noticing how plant life moves, bends, grows and perseveres despite location, disease, or other external environmental factors. The resilience and determination of surviving while hanging off a cliff or bending and twisting toward a source of light are qualities I find inspiring and relate back to the shared emotional and mental states we experience. Despite what we might be going through – emotionally, mentally, physically – all of us share the ability to survive, grow, adapt, and overcome the obstacles in our lives.