"You Don't Look Like You're Sick"

This piece draws visual inspiration from endometriosis growths, surgical imagery, petri dishes, mold, fungus, and other diseased organic forms, many of which are unexpectedly colorful. The work is rooted in my experience navigating complex chronic illness and years of medical dismissal before finally receiving proper care. My symptoms were often reduced to anxiety or dismissed as being “all in my head,” delaying treatment to the point of becoming dynamically disabled and fundamentally changing my relationship with my body. The piece reflects the disorientation of losing trust in yourself while also having your reality questioned by the systems meant to care for you. It speaks to the emotional isolation of living with invisible illness and the exhaustion of fighting to be believed. I do not “look sick” because you need to look closer, they should have looked closer.