There is a quote that has stayed with me for a long time. "People have thrown dirt on my name and people have given flowers. It is all a garden to me.". This piece is a visual interpretation of that idea.

Every movement grows flowers and thorns at the same time. Vibrant purples, oranges, yellows and pinks bloom alongside dark withered leaves and sharp thorns on the same canvas. The flowers represent the kind words and the support and the thorns represent the criticism and the negativity that comes with putting work out into the world. In a garden you do not pull out every weed and wait for perfection before you appreciate what is growing. You look at the whole thing and you find it beautiful. That is what this piece is about. Negativity and positivity are both part of the same picture and when you zoom out and look at everything together what you see is a garden.

The interaction is built in p5.js using ml5's handPose model to track 21 keypoints on the hand in real time. The botanical forms are drawn algorithmically using layered shapes to mimic illustrated plant anatomy. .