I began this painting in 2016 pre-PhD and just after my daughter moved away to college at a young age. Once I began the PhD program, I put the painting aside. I was inspired to work on this painting again after a conversation with a dear friend and artist about the rich and meaningful visual imagery of her screenplay and film, Domestic Bliss, as well as shedding expectations of society. I painted this from life - it includes a seashell I have cherished since I was a child, a smaller seashell found on one of the many walks on the beach with my daughter, a locket with photos of my grandmother and great-grandmother, a novel that belonged to my grandfather and also happened to be from the Pratt Institute library where I went to graduate school, and a children’s book about butterflies. I recently added the marble background - a cutting board my daughter used daily for cooking while she was at home with us during the COVID pandemic. It is a contemporary, personal iconography - each of the elements tells a story about different aspects of my life and also holds meaning and connection to others in my life and the story of their life.