Embrace togetherness
POSTER · ILLUSTRATION
Pick Progress Together is a poster series that invited creatives of all backgrounds, races, and identities to contribute their unique voices.
While the original Pick Progress Poster series centered on Black experiences with Black artists, Pick Progress Together aims to unite artists of diverse backgrounds in a shared celebration of inclusivity and togetherness.
When thinking about what “Embracing Togetherness” meant to me, I thought about all the different people who come into our lives.
For some, family can be a sore subject, but it is integral to what shaped you, regardless of how we relate to it. It shapes our traumas, joys, and journeys. It is embedded deep within us, and we carry it with us every day.
Then, I thought about chosen family. As a nonbinary person, this is central to my story—as it is for many others. It doesn’t replace the bonds built by blood and DNA, but it has the power to embrace you and heal parts of yourself that you didn’t understand needed healing.
Growing up, I visited Oaxaca, Mexico, often because my grandparents still live there. Early in life, I learned about Muxes, a recognized third gender in Zapotec culture in Oaxaca. Like me, Muxes live beyond the societal confines of gender. They dance between male and female characteristics, sometimes wearing a resplandor headdress from their communities.
In my composition, I wanted to envelop a nonbinary person in the light of the “resplandor”, chosen family, and their blood relatives, embedded in their skin. Embracing togetherness creates the light we surround ourselves with… it gives us the energy to keep us going. It is as essential as breathing—humans cannot exist without togetherness.