The beginning of this collection’s inspiration comes from old photos I found at my grandfather’s funeral. These photos are of me, my brother, my sister, my grandfather, and my mother. These photos serve as a bases for texture, silhouette, prints, and hardware that will be seen throughout the collection. These photos also encapsulate the western/hippie culture I was raised in and act as an aesthetic guide for me. This collection is heavily tied to my upbringing and how children cope and deal with an addictive parent. Like many children in America, I was raised watching my mother battle addiction. At a young age I would go to AA meetings and listen to what addicts had to say about rock bottom, while I played sonic the hedgehog on my DS. I never saw my mother as an addict because I was ignorant towards drug use and blinded by her love for me. Despite hearing my mother speak about it in AA I didn’t really understand what addiction was. I knew it was a sickness and I thought that somehow, I was my mother’s cure. It wasn’t until my aunt passed from a heroin overdose that my views changed. I remember feeling so angry that day. I sat and tried to wrap my head around the fact that we live in a world where families getting torn apart is just a byproduct of corporate America selling us quick fixes. More than anything I had to learn a lesson that day. I had to learn that you can’t change someone no matter how hard you try and that sometimes the best way you can love someone is to let them go. I promised myself that no matter where I was in life I would never touch heroin instead my drug will be love.