Secret Keeper Dolls

It’s taken two years to create these dolls. Ever since I was young, I’ve had a deep love for dolls. I think my mom might have had an inkling of this when she dressed me as Raggedy Ann one Halloween. Coming from a family with limited means, I would eagerly read the American Girl doll magazine, dreaming of owning one. My desire was so strong that I once wrote to the magazine, sharing my admiration and secretly hoping they might gift me a doll. They replied kindly, but I never received a doll. Now, I find myself drawn to buying dolls, aiming to restore and reawaken their charm.

The Secret Keeper dolls represent a period in my life filled with confusion and heartache and previous painful relationships have influenced me to keep to myself when I’m hurting, rather than seeking comfort from others. I have wonderful friends who I know would support me, but I hesitate to reach out to them, knowing they have their own struggles. I don’t want to add to their burdens. So, I turn my sadness and frustration into my art, a quiet way of shedding my pain. It’s a form of expression that people can connect with if they choose, depending on their own emotional state.