This work, titled "Room for Improvement," was created during my junior year of college, at a time when my self-worth was greatly intertwined with my academic achievements and external validation. I have many memories from this period of my undergraduate experience, struggling artistically due to my objective to receive recognition and praise from my peers and professors. When I did not receive that praise, I would be incredibly harsh on myself and put harmful pressure on my creative expression. The creation of this work was a therapeutic experience; utilizing over 20,000 classroom reward stickers, I spent 60 hours repeating the same action of peeling and placing stickers until I had a self-portrait that was both visually and conceptually made up entirely out of praise. This piece represents how stifling academic perfectionism and the need for external praise can be, as well as taking that power back and finding that validation within myself.