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Thinking about fitting in, 2026
acrylic and oil on wood panel, paintbrush
Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s painting Thinking About Death, I created this work as a reflection on my own experience of belonging. In Thinking About Death, Kahlo expresses the suffering caused by her poor health, which leaves no room for any other thoughts. Similarly, I feel consumed by my thoughts about fitting in. I want to belong—to a community, to my age group, and to the expectations placed upon me—but none of these align with my own desires. The attempt to fit in is killing me. In that sense, I too am thinking about death. I chose to depict a chameleon because it is nature’s ultimate “fitter-in who never truly fits in.” I gave it a zebra pattern to emphasize the irony of trying to belong. Zebra stripes function as camouflage when zebras are part of a herd. However, a solitary chameleon wearing such stripes completely gives itself away—it stands out, exposes itself, and fails. The attempt to fit in becomes its downfall.
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