“Incomplete” is a word I know well. I’m accustomed to the longing eyes of pending projects watching as I pass by. I have carefully choreographed my steps to evade the mountains of abandoned tasks in every corner of my life. I’m in a pit with a ladder ready to be assembled, but I reach for the shovel anyway, deepening the silence between my intention and action. I can never seem to get ahead, no matter the hustle. This is the only environment I’ve ever known but a few years ago, I was finally able to call it something other than “laziness.” ADHD can feel like a heavy anchor, holding me hostage from my ambitions while the rest of the world whizzes by. I’m still learning what this discovery means for my life, and I still flail, but chaos is now a tool on my belt rather than a dark cloud overhead. It can be wielded to overpower the shame and guilt of trying to belong in a world that demands order. Incompleteness is not a verdict, it’s a state of becoming.                                                                                         

-Emily Johnson

EMILY JOHNSON is a visual artist based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the University of Saskatchewan (2020), where her studies focused on found-object sculpture and installation. Her multidisciplinary practice spans painting and tactile art forms, including ceramics, wood, and wearables.

Emily’s recent work centers on the human face and figure, moving between realism and graphic stylization to explore how posture and expression inform identity and perception. In addition to her individual practice, she has illustrated a children’s book, participated in several international artist collaborations, and served as an adjudicator for the Saskatchewan Wearable Art Gala.