I create work that challenges my inherited belief system which I believed gave me the answers, behaviors, and expectations for a good and proper life. Applying the theory of cognitive dissonance as a philosophical framework helps me appreciate why it is so difficult to accept new information incongruent with one’s previously held beliefs. My work aspires to turn my fears, anxieties, and mistakes into meaningful visual expressions; informed by and in response to my personal experiences with relationships, death, and grief. These works of paper are the result of my decision to use materials my wife left behind. A practicing artist before her death, some of her final pieces were paper sculptures made from her recycled bath towels. I followed the processes she used, and learned how to make my own paper using her towels and my clothes. This experience with unfamiliar materials and practices transformed my approach to art making and showed me the freedom that comes from asking questions.