Cherries, sweet, and sapphire blue Yellow lights, they shine for you Feast your mind and your heart too, There’s nothing else I’d rather do Sparkle, clean, and well-refined What led you to be this kind? Subtleties and jewelry What art echos in your mind?

Rubeen Salem

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I create art with an aim to inspire others to allow themselves the permission to feel their vulnerabilities. Growing up with divorced parents, I had moved a lot in my youth. This made it difficult to establish a secure sense of identity. With the drastic changes in the culture and personalities of where I lived, it was hard to find a self I was secure in. I found myself pretending to be someone I’m not to appeal to new company and make friends easier. I learned that we get to create who we are, and not to play into who we think others want us to be. It wasn’t until the Fall of 2022 that I found myself having become a version of myself that I love. And I wish I knew sooner how to be myself, and how to love and appreciate that self, despite others not. Through my art, I intend to instill in others the acceptance of their true selves, the permission to feel their emotions fully, and the confidence to share that with others—sharing because we are all worthy of loving and being loved.