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Unapologetically Single

A 365-day project and exhibition embracing a year of singleness through daily art and self-reflection

A sampling of illustrations from Leah’s “Unapologetically Single” 365-day project.

Artist Statement

Unapologetically Single started as a method for my own personal healing, but quickly became my daily diary and growth tracker. Through my daily drawings and reflections, my goal was to focus on the areas in my life that needed improvement, while also holding more grace for myself with where I was at. My style and mindset changed midway when I shifted from being too careful and perfect with my art to being more real, vulnerable, and imperfect.

The motion of doing a daily ritual also kept me focused and accountable as my main intention for this project was to document my journey of staying single for one year. I felt that singleness at a certain age felt daunting and stigmatized, and I wanted to be unapologetic about it. While I had a clear intention coming in, I learned to embrace the fact that true healing is a continual process and not a final destination. It’s something we need to constantly put effort into because, while much can change in a year, one year is simply a chapter in our story. Learning to love my single self was a step forward to finding healthier and better-aligned relationships up ahead.

Role
Creative Director

Focus Areas
Illustration
Exhibit Design

Project Duration
2017-2018

Exhibit Location
New Women Space, Brooklyn, NY

Run Time
May 15, 2018

365 Drawings

The project started with one drawing a day for 365 days. A reflection on self, singleness, and growth.

  • An illustration of a red heart with tan bandaids on it. The heart is amidst an orange sky with clouds.

    Day 365

  • An image of Leah on top of a mountain overlooking Seoul. Her arms are outstretched and her back is turned towards the viewer.

    A Farewell Message

  • An illustration of a handwritten note on loose leaf paper. A portion of the letter is torn up, but you can still read the intended message.

    Day 302

  • An illustration of a person with red painted fingernails is adding a seed into the dirt. An arrow next to the seed and the words “growth” with a heart are pointing to it.

    Day 364

  • An illustration of the back of a U.S. dime with the words “Unapologetically Single” written above the torch. Underneath the dime are the lyrics, “I’m a dime (but I’m not yours).”

    Day 303

  • An illustration of a person’s internal body. The body is looking into a reflective surface and a thought bubble reads “Who are you underneath it all?”

    Day 345

  • An illustration of a person jumping into the water from a bird’s eye view.

    Day 297

  • An illustration of a picture of a cupcake. It is decorated with frosting, fruit, a candle, and a small sign that says “300.” Words are written on the photo that say, “Dear Self: Congrats on your growth! Love, Me.”

    Day 300

  • An illustration of a large tree is talking to a small sapling. The tree says, “It gets better.”

    Day 226

  • An illustration of a woman wrapped in a painting. A heart is being painted on her clothes by a huge brush with the artist not shown.

    Beauty in Empty Spaces

Exhibit Design

With the 365 day project complete, I wanted a final hoorah for all my work. Contacting New Women Space in Brooklyn, NY, I set up an exhibition date and got to work preparing for my opening.

Production Schedule

For long term projects, I often start with a spreadsheet. This method helps me visualize my monthly goals, compartmentalize tasks, and remember target due dates.

A spreadsheet of the “Unapologetically Single” project timeline and task list from January to May.

Exhibit Layout and Shelf Designs

After getting the dimensions of the New Women Space, I calculated how much wall space I would need for each piece. The goal was to print each artwork individually so that it could be turned over and read. I chose to display each work on removable shelves, which could be quickly installed on the day of the exhibit since our show was for only one day.

With the help of my father, we constructed many prototypes before landing on a solution. Our final design had a small groove where the artwork could rest in. We also included some added padding so the artworks could rest at an angle against the wall without toppling over.

Samples of the New Women Space floor plan, hand written notes, and an illustrated layout of the exhibit wall.
Pictures of sketches and prototypes of the shelves used in the exhibit.

Card Making

During my 365 day project, I wrote a reflection with every drawing that I posted on my social media. With the help of my mom and my friends, each reflection was edited and printed out on cardstock. For the sake of budget, the artworks were printed through a printing service, and then adhered to the descriptions. It was a painstaking process that involved a lot of additional help from friends, but by the end, we had 365 day cards with artwork on one side and descriptions on the other.

An image of the backs of the artwork that show each day’s passage and reflection.
An image of a person gluing the front and the backs of the cards together for the exhibit.

Advertising

Square flyers were printed and distributed to advertise the art exhibit.

The advert for the “Unapologetically Single” exhibit. It shows the front and the back. The front is a sampling of the illustrations from the project, and the back has more information about the exhibit.

Installation Day

Some BTS process shots of the installation of my exhibit. We had less than 1.5 hours to install everything, so it was a tight race to the finish line.

Step 1: Measure

Using the exhibit layout as a guide, we used measuring tape and levelers to map out the shelving guides with a string.

A group of three people measuring out the guidelines to hang the exhibit shelves.
A picture of four people measuring the shelves with a leveler to make sure they are straight.

Step 2: Stick

After we laid out our guides, the shelves were temporarily stuck to the wall with command strips we had previously attached. We followed the pattern I had laid out and everyone was given an area in the space to install.

Two women looking at the exhibit layout plan on the wall. One of them is holding a ruler.
A picture of a group of four people preparing to attach more exhibit shelves to the wall.
A group of four people making sure the distance of the exhibit shelves is equal.
A group of three people sticking the exhibit shelves to the wall.

Step 3: Place

The final step was to place the cards in the shelves in the correct order. Once everything was assembled and clean, the final exhibit was divided between two floors. In the exhibit space, guests could bounce around to different artworks or read them in chronological order.

Two women place the artworks onto the exhibit shelves.
A woman looks at an example of the exhibit layout and places the artwork accordingly.
Two women put the final touches to the exhibit artworks and one of them cleans up any stains.
Two women carefully place the artworks onto the exhibit shelves.
Two people place the artworks onto the shelves and make sure they are aligned and spaced out evenly.
A gif of two women gradually placing the artworks onto the exhibit shelves.

“Take your broken heart, make it into art.”

— Carrie Fisher

Show Time

After all the months and hours of hard work, we finally went live for a day at New Women Space. It was a fun time, and we had a great turn out.

Video by Alan Tan

An image of Leah in a off-white dress looking at her artwork on the shelves.
An image of a close up shot of the logo and front door of the exhibit.
An image of three people in the finished exhibit looking at the artworks on the wall.
People in the exhibit talking, eating snacks, and looking at the artwork.
A wide angle image of a person clearing the wall in the finished installation of the exhibit.
Three people look at the artwork in the exhibit.
A person holds the artwork in their hand. It shows a picture that has the words “find your purpose” on it.
Two people look at the artwork in the exhibit.
Four people look at the artwork in the exhibit.
A wide angle shot of the finished exhibition space.
Two people look at the artwork in the exhibit.
The outdoor signage for the “Unapologetically Single” exhibit.
A person reaches for an artwork on the wall.
An angled view of a person picking up an artwork to read from the wall.
A group of women looking at the artwork in the exhibit.
A group of people looking at the artwork in the exhibit or sitting down on the couches.
An image of a person reading the back of a card with their back turned to the viewer.
An image of the final four artworks of the exhibit resting on their own small shelf.
A gif of the front and back of an artwork from the exhibit.

Special Thanks

My friends and family who supported me my project for 365 days, and then helped me plan, edit, build, and fund my exhibit. Richard Ly and Jeff Lee for shooting photos. Alan Tan for shooting photos and video. James Gebilaguin and Nathan Le for helping me edit the photos.

A blurry picture of Leah and her friend in the backseat of a car holding onto a box from the exhibit.

Post-exhibit takedown. A final blurry memory for the road.

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