My Confession

For my confession I dug really deep to a very personal fear that I hold close and have never told anyone. I have never really been close to my dad, he is very different from me and he was always the enforcer and critic of the house. We never really made the extra effort to have a good relationship. My Dad had a heart attack last year. It was mainly due to eating very unhealthy. My dad is a great cook and loves to cook things like steak, filet mignon and other rich food on a very regular basis and this is a high contributor to why he had a heart attack. My confession was that I fear that he will die of heart disease before we get the chance to have a good relationship. I set out this place setting. I carved a heart out of bell pepper, which is also really a really healthy food that is good for the heart, put it in a deep bowl that had spinach and a blend of red lettuce and other greens that are great for heart function due to the levels of iron in them. I wrapped the utensils in a two page letter that I had written to my dad. This letter stated the way I felt and how I missed out on having that relationship with him. I also stated that I would like to see him eat healthier. I read it out loud to the class after they had observed the sculpture in order to explain my confession. It was actually therapeutic to have the way I feel written out concisely and to finally speak it. I was very emotional throughout the whole thing. When I made the decision to read it out loud I was unsure whether I was going to be able to get through it and I was tempted to ask someone else to read it for me, but it was something that I had to do myself. I read it and shook and had to gather myself at some points but I did it and I got a very emotional response from my peers. It felt supportive, and many people could relate to what I felt. That was amazing. I didn't want everyone to feel sympathetic or anything, I didn't want that kind of attention and I felt like everyone was more supportive than anything so that was great.

Also, I read people's blogs of the critique for that day and a surprising number mentioned me. I felt very proud first of all, it was such an honor that people thought that my work was good,because I hadn't looked at it as art so much as just completing the assignment and getting this very difficult issue out. Many people were affected by it and thought that it was beautiful and many said that I should give the letter to my dad. I think I probably will next time that I see him or maybe write a more appropriate version of it to him on his birthday. The responses made me cry, I felt like I had touched a lot of people and that they actually cared. It was definitely a response that I hadn't expected. If anyone in my class is reading this right now, Thank you. Your responses meant a lot to me.