Insta: @rickytickytoo_

TikTok: @pizzaartandtherapy

from the artist

I was so intrigued when I learned about the SMOL Residency.

There was something about it that was calling to me, and ideas were forming. When I saw that the application deadline was very soon, I decided to put the pieces that had started to take form into a quick little proposal just to get it in. I so often think about submitting to calls for art or applying for residencies but never do, but somehow I knew I could not let that happen for this call. So I pressed send as quickly as I could.

But what began as a seed has now become the framework for a project I cannot stop thinking about. It has taken root in my art, my writing, and my daily life. I believe it deserves to be shared in fuller form before the deadline closes.

I have come to realize this project is not new to me. For about six years — and likely longer — I have been dreaming about how to create an interactive exhibition where viewers are not just spectators, but participants.

Every path of my work has been leading me here: painting large self portraits, writing fragments of poetry, experimenting with teaching, and searching for ways to connect art with community.

“Actually...” is the culmination of this long searching.

The SMOL residency announcement was the catalyst I needed. I have always thought big, and it made me think small — and that shift unlocked a breakthrough. For the first time, all the fragments of my life, art, ADHD, anxiety, trauma, and therapy came together into one container.

A SMOL one.