“Self- Talk” represents a physical manifestation of the power of thought and the struggle it can be to control. The way we talk to ourselves has a great effect behavior. I wanted to make a piece that dealt with questions like: What thoughts do you choose to acknowledge? What happens when they are conflicting? This piece came about through the making of several smaller pieces, each explore a different aspect of gesture, surface, and techniques using ceramics material. Moving though smaller studies quickly, I discovered a dramatic theme evolved with the groupings of figures. Using a variety of muted and bright colors, I wanted to create a piece where the figure was dealing and reacting to multiple voices. It is a play on the tragedy and comedy masks often associated with the theater. I wanted to translate the iconic symbol into the duality of positive and negative self-talk.