Blog Week 5: Ring Stencil

I chose to do a wedding/engagement ring stencil for the cover of my book. I decided to do a ring because it has been a symbol of eternal love, never-ending friendship, and commitment to my husband. I did not realize creating a stencil required so much planning, for example, deciding where the bridges and rivers would be placed.

Out of all the symbols to represent our relationship, I chose a ring because it has been something I have loved, yet, have had confused feelings about in the past, and even now sometimes. First and foremost, the ring represents the day my partner proposed and we decided we were getting married. It symbolized and continues to symbolize our love, commitment to one another, and the challenges we would/will face. I mentioned sometimes I have confused feelings about the ring because although it is an important symbol between us, I have experienced moments were I realize people still have more traditional views of marriage and what a wife should be. For instance, there have been times when people ask me “is he okay with that?” People who know us both introduce me as “his wife” and other comments I can’t help but feel are micro-aggressions, whether the people saying them realize it or not. I sometimes take the ring off, but I continue to wear it most of the time. Ultimately, it is a symbol between us and us only.