A4 (210mm x 297mm / 8.3” x 11.7”) linoleum print; two colors on handmade white cotton paper.

Happy Interdependence Day. We need each other.

My country of origin places the value of ‘independence’ on the highest pedestal.

Now that I live an ocean away, it’s easier to see from a distance that this idea of complete ‘independence’—that an individual contains all the knowledge, strength, time, and resources to survive totally on their own—is flawed.

In truth, we are deeply, deeply involved in each other’s surviving and thriving.

I think about this every time I cross a bridge. Without a lick of doubt, I put my life in the hands of engineers, architects, and builders I’ve never met who have skills that I don’t. 30+ years in, they’ve held me up every time.

I tear up every time I hear the wail of an ambulance, knowing that complete strangers commit their lives to helping me and you in our greatest moments of need. How awesome is that?

Instead of ‘Independence,’ I see ‘Interdependence.’ We need each other, in the most basics ways. We belong to each other, in the most beautiful ways. And I think that’s the value worth celebrating.

[Note: This print depicts the Three Sisters, an agricultural tradition shepherded by Indigenous Americans through centuries. Corns, beans, and squash help each other survive and thrive.]