There is a specific kind of appreciation reserved for the television shows we watched as children - a shimmering, slightly distorted nostalgia that makes the screen feel larger than life. For me, that magic was Irwin Allen’s The Time Tunnel.

I’ve always been drawn to the "big ideas." Growing up, physics was the language of my home; my father and I bonded over the strangeness of the universe. He turned the dining room table into a classroom, using household objects and fruit to model nanoscopic particles, helping me visualize the invisible forces humming all around us.

The classic birthday cake of my childhood was always homemade in a silver pan. There were no exceptions: it had to be chocolate with chocolate glaze, completely covered in sprinkles and silver dragees. I absolutely loved those little silver balls. I knew they were waiting for me at the next birthday - if not mine, then at a classmate’s or a neighborhood friend’s, because everyone, at every kid’s birthday party, received that very same cake. Sometimes, if you were especially lucky, your mom would make it just for fun.

This is the first artwork completed in my Retro-Causation series. In November of 2025, I began trying to make sense of my life. I was experiencing profound burnout and felt confused about my direction. As I always do, I coped by turning to my art practice. When you are thoroughly exhausted, even the joy and release of making something meaningful and beautiful is barely enough to get you out of bed - but it was, at least, a start in my wellness journey.

I was born in 1974 to the best parents I know. I mean that sincerely - I’ve yet to encounter a more loving couple, two people who were and still are completely dedicated to their family. My mom was a beautiful 21-year-old musician and singer, and my father, a physicist turned computer scientist, was nearly ten years her senior at 30 when they welcomed me into the world.

Is using AI a legitimate artistic tool for bringing my vision to life, or is it just the easy way out- a cop-out that I will later regret? This question has been on my mind and will likely continue to plague me in the coming years. I have started using AI in my creative process, specifically for my art piece that looks like a book, Noa’s Painted Rainbow, where I utilized it to create the cover illustration.

An old photograph recently brought me back in time. It was a picture of me in 1980, dressed in my ballet leotard. Looking at it, I was hit by a sudden, intense flash of emotion and nostalgia, transporting me instantly back to that time and place. Suddenly, I remembered my beloved Grandpa Bunny book, and I could vividly recall the awe and reverence with which I used to turn every single page.