How can visual storytelling be used to promote ownership and reframe the narrative of young adult cancer?
Cancer is a complex and multifaceted disease that affects individuals and their families in countless ways. Having had the roller coaster ride that is cancer myself, my eyes have opened up to "the kingdom of the sick, (Sontag, 1978)" which I did not know I held citizenship for. After my diagnosis, I found myself utterly lost and overwhelmed by fear when I learned that reality does not imitate the traditional cancer narratives from popular media that are often shown on screen.
Through this critical report, Autonomy Of Anatomy, I deconstructed the experience of having cancer as a young adult and explored how my creative practice could be used to promote ownership of one's own story and reframe the narratives surrounding it. My ultimate goal is to advocate for the importance of sharing authentic and nuanced stories and the benefits of doing so for the individual and the culture at large, through my personal lived experience.