Breaking the mold, Savannah Jeffs-Dipic, 2020

I believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so why should one person’s opinion of beauty be more acceptable than someone else’s? Does being accepted have to mean being the same? I strive to show the beauty in being outside the box of what is considered beautiful. 
Behind the creation of this piece is a desire for a response to the question: why do we exclude other human beings simply because who they are is different? If no two people are the same, why should we pretend to be?  In my work, I used clay as a physical material to convey the idea of not changing yourself to fit in a mold. 
What good are we doing if we limit ourselves to a narrow view of what deserves to be accepted?  When people look at my work, I want them to come away with a sense of belonging. Even if they feel like they belong nowhere else, they belong in my work and can see themselves reflected back in it.