Grace Leach

Finding Grace

Mentor: Ljiljana Coklin

Finding Grace” is about taking back the power to write your own narrative. I will be using creative writing as a therapeutic tool to unpack my own personal traumas, the final piece being representative of my lifelong journey of healing and growth. I will be analyzing how my experiences with childhood trauma, complicated family dynamics and sexual assaults have affected not only my relationships with those involved, but most importantly my relationship with myself. While having these vulnerable conversations is uncomfortable, they open the door to rediscover the beauty in learning to love oneself again. Through a combination of therapeutic introspection, support from mental health professionals, and psychological literature, I hope to better understand the root of my behaviors and learn how to grow from them. The final project will be a zine, a collection of mini stories interlaced with commissioned art pieces. Through this piece, I hope to normalize vulnerable conversations about mental health by deconstructing my own healing process and encouraging others to find the strength to do the same.