Finding Magic in the Everyday.

Transformation doesn’t always have to be big or loud. Sometimes, it’s quiet and slow, like the way day turns into night, or how small ideas bloom into stories through art. As a young emerging artist with autism, I’m constantly fascinated by how things shift and change. Inside us, around us, and through creative expression.

In my artwork, I often explore transformation by blending unexpected elements. In this illustration, a turtle’s shell becomes an igloo, and perched on top is a penguin fishing for wishes among the stars. I was inspired by the idea of combining creatures from different worlds, land, sea, ice, and sky to create a dreamlike space where anything feels possible. It reflects how we all carry hidden hopes and layered stories inside us.

But transformation doesn’t always look like a big moment. Often, it lives in the small, everyday details. We can find magic in unexpected places, like the texture of tree bark, the shape of a shadow, or a color that suddenly feels like a memory. Slowing down and noticing these things is one way to shift how we see life.

Art gives me the language to tell stories that go beyond words. As a storytelling illustrator, I use symbols, textures, and shapes to express feelings I can’t always explain out loud. Creating pieces like this helps me feel more connected to others and to myself. Sometimes I start a drawing without knowing where it will go and that’s where transformation really happens. A mistake becomes a doorway. A sketch becomes a story.

Another way we transform the way we see life is by changing our perspective. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with this?” we can ask, “What’s kind of fascinating about this?” A crack in a sidewalk can look like a river. A moment of uncertainty can open up new creative paths.

Being an inclusive artist also means celebrating the richness of our differences. Through my work, I hope to spotlight neurodiversity and the unique ways we each perceive and interact with the world. Everyone experiences and expresses transformation in their own way. I believe there is strength in seeing the world differently.

We can also find transformation by connecting with nature. The world around us is always in motion, tides shifting, seasons cycling, animals adapting. In this image which I call Shellabration, nature becomes a storyteller too, blending ecosystems and dreams to remind us that change can be both quiet and out of this world.

I believe art has the power to shift perspectives and open up conversations. And sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones that evolve slowly, like the shell of a turtle becoming the ideal place for a penguin to cast wishes into the sky.