In 2018, after working in health care as an occupational therapist (OT) for over a decade I moved to vancouver island, took a “dream year” off work and began a journey of slowing down to rediscover purpose and meaning in my life. I began a therapeutic process of creating art for myself through a cartoon diary as well drawing, painting, and photography. Burnout, anxiety, and depression are all things I am working out/in/with/on. A friend's accidental auto-correction of my name initiated my artist identity: Andream, to distinguish myself from my formal professional identity.
With all my endeavours I consider the environment through ethical and sustainability practices. Each project starts with a call-out from the community for materials that would otherwise be destined for the landfill. I've collected stained or unusable fabric, used make-up, yarn scraps, construction waste, and more, to create mixed-media art.
I graduated from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, BFA, photography major in May 2024. At ECU, my personal journey has involved looking inwards, expressing feelings through photography and mixed media, investigating relationships, community, environmental and social issues. I dream of continuing my therapeutic art and photography practice as a way to open space for voices that are too often unheard.
I am a 3rd generation european settler who lives on the stolen lands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən/Songhees peoples.
Photo by Joel Anseeuw