Come As You Are (2021)

Come As You Are explores the ways in which
external entities have conditioned women to
believe that they are not good enough as they are.
Accompanied by written word and an installation piece,
Come As You Are acts as an ode to women everywhere encouraging
them to accept all aspects of what make up who they are as individuals.

open letter

Not being the person that you want to be is a destructive concept.

Being a person,
I can say this with absolute confidence.

In a world where we’ve been told that acquisition and attainment of things
equates to where we lie amongst the social status.

And how much we are requited,
and envied,
and lusted after
means that things could always be better.

You could always be better.

Because by comparison

– which is exactly how we got ourselves into this dilemma in the first place –

You could always
be better
than you are
in this current moment.

In your current state.

There’s no stopping and smelling those sweet sweet roses that you’ve found yourself lying amongst.

Nope.

Because as soon as you lay down they began rotting
and started smelling wretched and sour.

You are dead-set on all of the things that you could be,
that you are missing out on realising how great you are right now,
in this current moment.

The problem with this notion of attainment is that we think we would just be happier if we had this one thing.

I would be better off if…

In doing this you are negating all of your capabilities in this moment.

Nothing is ever good enough.

You are never perfect.

You are never finished.

The idea that consumerism works into your brain is that you are not enough just as you are.

You need this,
and this,
and this
in order for you to be better.

Your best self.

And getting caught up in this capital whirlpool
means that you are never looking at yourself without critical eyes.

We are constantly judging,

and critiquing,

and berating,

and hurting ourselves
because we have been conditioned to believe that “we are not good enough”.

But we are.

We are born to this earth just like everyone else is.

So we have just as much right to take up space.

In our natural states.

As we are.

You are good enough
as you are.

So come as you are.

Unrelenting.

Unwavering.

Unapologetic.

Unbothered.

Undeniably beautiful.