The Nostalgia Project

This project began with a deceptively simple question: What did you love between the ages of 7 and 14?

As an immigrant, I didn’t realize how much we went without—until my classmates pointed it out. What we did have, we cherished deeply. Every item was hard-earned, imbued with meaning, and held close. During the pandemic, when my home was hit hard, I felt the need to bring lightness and joy into our lives.

I turned to the things that once brought me joy. I opened the trunk where I keep small treasures from childhood and began to illustrate them—each one a vivid, emotional memory. It was fun and heartwarming to draw them, but even more powerful was realizing how each object had shaped me.

This project became more than drawing. It became a process of seeing, reflecting, and understanding—of immersing myself in the joy, resilience, and identity these objects carry. Through memory and material, I rediscovered who I was, and who I’ve become.