"Kissing my step-uncle." "Giving my all for someone who gave nothing in return." "This election."

I got the idea for this project after visiting the Before I Die wall in Tampa. I decided to play with the concept of packing items away and relate it to how as humans, we store things away in our brain. Sometimes they are dark and shameful things we may never tell another living soul. I had this vintage suitcase that I yanked from an antique store sitting in my house. In my own weird way, I decided to combine the two.

Participatory art is one of my favorite mediums of expression. For me, what makes a work of art stand out from the rest is its relatability. If we all only have one universal quality it is that we are human. We are flawed and scarred in unique ways. The moment this project struck me as important is when I read the submission stating "My biggest regret is not reaching out sooner to get help with my depression."

My first victims (after hatching this idea for a participatory 3-D art piece utilizing a vintage suitcase) were my sorority sisters (shoutout to Pi Beta Phi). Then I went door to door in my residence hall. Eventually, I resorted to walking up to random strangers in Starbucks and saying, "hey, could you write down your biggest fears and/or regrets for me?" Definitely out of my comfort zone.

There were different levels of confidentiality for the submissions. The primary was the participants were encouraged to omit names from their responses. This worked fairly well, the one exception being Maddie Jones who insisted that she "is an open book." For submissions that were deeply personal, the volunteers had the option to crumple up the paper. This action ensures the exclusivity of its contents. Resisting the urge to give in and read them is equivalent to being given a giant hot fudge sundae and being told not to eat it. Yet, I have kept true to my word (so far).

This project truly has influenced my depiction of the people around me. Whether they be strangers, sorority sisters, or neighbors, every person has a unique depth to their character. We all carry extra baggage.