What empowers me is the ability for me to be creative. Creativity is much more than paint for me. Through creativity I can express myself and share my story. As I grow older I have realized how important it is for me to share my story as a woman of color. Strong women in my life and culture remind me of the importance of sharing my story through art.

Lo que me da poder es la capacidad de ser creativa. La creatividad es mucho más que pintura para mí. Con creatividad puedo expresarme y compartir mi historia.A medida que fui creciendo, me di cuenta de lo importante que es para mí compartir mi historia como mujer de color. Las mujeres fuertes en mi vida y mi cultura me recuerdan de la importancia de compartir mi historia y mi voz con mi arte.

In 2013, I was drugged and raped during the modeling job. My pornographic photographs were published online about 6 months later with my name and contact information. The rapist attempted to sex traffic me. I was ashamed and depressed about what had happened. I stopped dancing and doing everything I loved for the full year after the assault. I discovered the burlesque show on the first anniversary of my assault. I saw it as a sign for me to take what I've lost back. Burlesque empowers me to take back my body, my sexuality, and discover what I love about myself.

My story is engraved into my skin - that ink empowers me. Every sacrifice, challenge, and risk I took to travel the world and trust others with the canvas of my body is proof of my journey. It is the collection of me.

Working out gives me the chance to have a specific time frame in my day to be completely selfish and only think about me and my body. I learned how to discipline my mind throughout my fitness process. It empowers me to love the body I'm in and take care of it.

ورزش به من این اجازه را میدهد که در طول روز، زمان‌ خاصی را فقط به خودم و بدنم اختصاص بدهم. این مسیر نه تنها به سلامتم کمک‌کرده، بلکه باعث شده کنترل بیشتری روی افکار و ذهنم داشته باشم. دوست داشتن جسمی که درونش قرار دارم و تلاش برای نگه داری از اون به من قدرت میدهد.

What empowers me is feeling proud. Knowing how far I’ve come while constantly being humbled by how much I still don’t know and can learn from people and experiences. I am blessed to be surrounded by many who care about me and who want me to succeed. And I will hold true to what others who believed in me taught me “don’t forget to send the elevator back down once you’ve made it” (help others just as you’ve gotten help to get here).

ما يقويني هو ألشعور بالفخر. معرفتي بانني تقدمت كثيراً وفي نفس الوقت استمراري في الشعور بالتواضع نتيجة عدم معرفتي لأمور كثيرة واستطاعتي التعلم من مختلف الناس والإختبارات. الله منحني نعمة الحصول على عائلة وأصدقاء يحبونني و يتمنون لي النجاح. وسأحافظ على كلمتي كما علمني اخرون امنوا بي وهو "لا تنسي أن تساعدي الاخرين كما انتي حصلتي على المساعدة.

My practice is a constant state of transition. Rather than moving from one pose to the next, I emphasize slowing down and finding stillness within each transition - making the change a posture in itself. In a way, I think life is similar and I try to remind myself of that. As women, we’re pulled in many directions and expected to uphold certain images, roles, and timelines — but there’s beauty in taking your damn time, even if it means not doing it all. You might even shake off some expectations in the negative space.

What empowers me is being a woman scientist. Science has always been dominated by men but there are now many women working in science and we are all trying to help each other to make a better future. No competition but ambition!

Ciò che mi dà forza è essere una scienziata. La scienza è sempre stata dominata dagli uomini, ma ora ci sono molte scienziate e stiamo tutte cercando di aiutarci a vicenda per creare un futuro migliore. Nessuna competizione ma ambizione!

As an inhabitant of planet Earth, I think I have the responsibility to help preserve it's beauty for generations to come. Many species are disappearing as well as nature, right in front of our eyes. I cannot imagine how life will be for the next generations who will be unable to enjoy what we have right now. I want to join others in their efforts to protect our natural wonders. If we collectively work towards minor improvements in our lifestyles, such as eliminating single use plastic, we could make a big impact in this world. The priority should be learning to refuse, reduce, and reuse, with the last resort being recycle. Simply saying no to paper cups, straws, or plastic bags will help a lot. There are always little things that we can do to help.

Picking up a paint brush to start a new piece is both the most thrilling and earnest expression of myself. Using magnificent color to form feelings, identity and escapes that connect to others is magic. I've always loved story tellers and finding your medium to tell them, feels like home. I feel inexplicably at home whenever or wherever I create. I choose to make my art sustainable, painting mainly on recycled substrates like wood, because the story of our Earth is most important. Using excess materials from an excessive modern world to make new beauty, is my ode to our struggling planet. Always creating art with love at the forefront.

Growing up, the idea of wearing makeup to make yourself look more attractive to and for men was such a normalized concept — and a heteronormative one at that. I used to apply it to “look pretty” and “fix” my appearance. I hated the way I looked without it, and wouldn’t dare think to leave the house bare-faced. I used makeup as a shield. But the older I grew, the more I realized I could use makeup as a tool, as an art, as a performance. Makeup became my own. Now, I’m not doing it to please anyone else. It helped me gain the confidence I needed to feel more comfortable in my own skin without it. Instead of using it to hide (or worrying about the way I look to men), I use it to transform into different characters, to create living art, to feel good about myself. When I wear makeup, I paint my face for ME. And that’s pretty powerful.

I am excited about the concept of neuroplasticity because it allows the brain to grow and evolve in response to our environment. Growing up in Japan, where conformity is valued, expressing my truths and disagreements has been challenging. I was trained to avoid conflicts to gain acceptance from the community, but it left me feeling empty. However, with the understanding of neuroplasticity, I realized that my personality is adaptable and changeable. I can choose and develop the person I want to be by adopting new mindsets, behaviors, and abilities. The feelings of anger and sadness are indicators of my desire for change, not signs of being defective. Today, I am on a journey of openly expressing myself without hesitation and enjoying the acceptance that comes with being authentically me.