Happier Than Ever
This digital painting, inspired by the title track from Billie Eilish's "Happier Than Ever" album, focuses on the experience of separating oneself from people who do not have your best interest at heart as a form of healing. Throughout her adolescence, Kayla has always felt isolated by those around her. Constantly being left out and disregarded caused her to feel worthless and invalid. After voicing her feelings of loneliness and invalidation to her peers, she realized that the people she cared for did not reciprocate her love as they only belittled her more.
Kayla decided that for the sake of her growth and mental health, she had to let go of one sided connections and to stop showing up for people who weren't doing the same for her. This piece shows the anger, sadness, and relief that Kayla feels after freeing herself from relationships that were toxic.