For the past two years I have dedicated myself to creating intimate and healing portals and experiences for Black people in the communities I belong to through the practice of hair braiding. I have been developing my work through material explorations and memory to explore different forms of embodiment and care that exude both abstraction and figuration. Having been on a lifelong journey of creating as healing, I look to my own familial relationships and ancestry as sources of inspiration. Being Oromo, so rich in culture, I explore the many ways we distinguish ourselves from other ethnic groups, and focus on our style of hair. I draw intimate black and white cutouts of different people from the tribes I belong to and depict the act of braiding the hair of children. These drawings are rooted in my own memories of being a child and having my head braided by many of the women in my family. My illustrations and sculptures intertwine lineage and hair culture. Being in conversation with ancestors through spirit I am able to understand and learn about the past, live in the present, and dream about the future.