My great-grandmother was an artist—or at least, she used to be, before stepping into the roles of wife, mother, and homemaker.

Though most of her paintings were lost to time, two of her works—cherry blossoms and daisies—still hang in my grandmother’s house, quiet remnants of a passion set aside.

During a recent visit to my hometown in the Philadelphia suburbs, my grandmother shared stories of her mother’s love for art, her eye for detail, and the many paintings she created in her youth. And yet she admitted she never once saw her mother pick up a paintbrush, a creative spark dimmed by life’s demands.

This stirred a deep reflection on the creative spirit within my lineage—a force dormant for generations—and my place within it. Now, with this expo, I feel I’m not just sharing my art but giving voice to a trait long buried, honoring the creativity and resilience of the women before me. It feels like my responsibility, as a woman, an artist, and a creative, to carry this forward—to honor their spark by embracing a different path: one that allows me to move across borders, delve into my creative side, and express this gift through Lineage.