Steve Gagnon’s perspective, particularly regarding the violence men inflict on one another, deeply impacted me and made me question myself. He speaks of a violence that manifests as much through silence and the rejection of one’s own vulnerability as through tangible acts—punching walls, unable to contain a distress that all too often transforms into anger. Steve Gagnon paints a portrait of men who are outwardly strong but heavy-hearted—a portrait I increasingly recognize around me and whose echoes I feel in some of my own actions.

Still haunted by some of this author’s words, I feel a burning need to add some of my own, to walk alongside this work by inscribing it with images and ideas that are uniquely mine. Starting from an empathetic, non-judgmental perspective toward these men who are trapped in discomfort with themselves, I feel the need to convey that certain behaviors… …that appear macho are, in fact, façades that block access to an emotional depth they feel ashamed of.