Series

Thought Monsters is a sculptural series that brings the hidden landscape of the mind into tangible form. Each piece begins with small found objects assembled into creatures that represent specific thoughts I seek greater awareness of — the persistent worries, self-criticisms, or imaginative distortions that shape my inner world. By giving these thoughts bodies, textures, and personalities, I transform them from abstract mental chatter into something visible, approachable, and even a bit whimsical.

The series draws from the therapeutic concept of cognitive defusion, which teaches that a thought is not reality — it is simply a thought. By externalizing these internal narratives, Thought Monsters makes space for reflection, distance, and clarity. Alongside each creature, I construct a small cage. These cages are not meant as prisons, but symbols: reminders that we cannot eliminate our thought monsters entirely, yet we can change how we hold them. We can contain their influence, shift our relationship to them, and reclaim our power.

Through found-object sculpture, metaphor, and playful surrealism, Thought Monsters invites viewers to consider their own inner voices — and the possibility that even our most troublesome thoughts can become less frightening once we see them clearly, name them, and place them gently in their rightful place.