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Showing posts from 2026

Triumph

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Triumph Yi Chen, age 13, 2026 Acrylic on Canvas, 24x18 in Triumph Yi Chen I am a survivor I am a fighter I am a phoenix I am winning this battle I am thriving I am growing I am a champion I limped I crawled I cried I am here standing high and tall I am here dancing with all my might I am here  laughing and on top of a hill I am here

My Hiking Journey

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I am a great hiker. But I was not able to do that when I was younger. It took years of me working really hard to get there. Sometimes, there were tears and screaming involved. It was hard for me, especially if there were people nearby. They made me nervous. I was able to control my anxiety by looking at my shoes or a tree, around essentially things that help me to ignore other people.  I started to hike when I was six years old in our neighborhood. It was hard since there were people around often. It made me embarrassed because I was not able to walk a block at the age of six. I kept at it because I really wanted to hike with my family. I was determined to hike as much as I could. The process took months and months of daily practice. It took a lot of hard work from me and the people who supported me during the process. But I am so glad that we didn’t give up.  It was really hard but then hard work paid off. I was able to go to many beautiful places, such as Bryce National Park...

My First Art

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My Heart in Pain Yi Chen, age 13, 2026 Acrylic on Canvas, 18x24 in My heart in pain I am a 13-year old boy with autism. I can't talk but I love art. It's my first ever art lesson and I have been enjoying the process. I tried to express my complex and strong emotions. They're raw and sensitive, like my heart.  I was in an art critique this afternoon. It was my first art class and first art piece reviewed by professional artists on zoom. My work was so well done that it got lots of compliments from the artists and other students. I was so so excited and happy and proud of myself. I am an artist and I finally found my way to express myself in a way that’s beautiful and powerful!