My journey with art began as soon as I could hold a pencil. At 16, after losing my father, I found refuge in the cozy coffee shop next to my school. It was a place where I could study and create without feeling alone, immersed in the warmth and hum of community. This comforting environment helped me through a difficult time and led me to a unique and expressive medium.

In high school, an art assignment required me to paint with black acrylic ink, a medium I’d never used and initially feared. With no sketching, I painted a silhouette of my little brother and my late father. This act of letting go taught me to embrace imperfection, sparking a creative curiosity to try new techniques. One day, I saw someone online painting with instant espresso and tried it myself. The sticky residue wasn’t what I’d hoped for, but one evening at the coffee shop, I painted with real espresso instead. Coffee, unlike ink, had an unpredictable, rebellious quality; it took patience and adaptability. This challenge felt like a collaboration, as though the coffee itself had become a partner in my creative process.