Ashley Bullock

My name is Ashley Bullock. I have used art in many different forms and mediums to express myself my entire life. Before I discovered using art with my hands, I used dance as a form of art that allowed me to express myself throughout my life. Dance was my escape from reality. Dance was where I felt the safest. I felt like I could be free; I could be me while I was dancing. Soon after my sixteenth birthday, though, I lost my mother to cancer. I never knew nor had a relationship with my father. My mother was the only support that I ever had. I struggled for a while after losing her. I wanted to quit dancing, but something pulled me back in and would not allow me to quit. I soon realized that dance was my connection to my mother, and I continued to dance. Whenever I felt down, I used dance to cope with my emotions. Soon after losing my mother, I found myself pregnant, still at the age of sixteen years old. I continued to use dance to process my emotions, however, I could not continue to dance as it became closer to the birth of my son. I chose to give my child up for adoption, which meant I would have to go through the grieving cycle all over again, although I never really had the chance to grieve the loss of my mother. During this time is when I discovered other art mediums such as painting, drawing, and sculpting. Art making allowed me the same escape that dancing has allowed me my entire life. Art making with my hands allowed me to process my emotions in a safe environment. Art making has allowed me to process through the grief of losing my mother and through the grief of losing my son through adoption.