Commercializing, politicizing, and promoting positive thinking as an ideology often produce contrary results. Claiming that the sheer power of positive thinking allows individuals to achieve any goal fosters a false belief that personal success or failure depends solely on individual effort, while ignoring crucial economic, cultural, and social factors. In a competitive environment where success is paramount, people can struggle to navigate these pressures, perceiving failure as a reflection of personal inadequacy and experiencing marginalization as a result.

For the Backyard Gatherings project, I created a fictional setting where humans and creatures coexist, each striving to tell their own stories and assert their presence within the backdrop. Drawing inspiration from pop culture and the fitness lifestyle, I aim to highlight individuals from marginalized groups and their efforts to reconcile societal expectations related to beauty, aging, and success.