In my first book as both author and illustrator, The Life of a Coat uses the coat as a central figure to examine personal responsibility.

The garment waits perpetually—for use, for meaning, for change—reflecting the common reluctance to take ownership of one's path. The story traces how fear and codependency erode agency, even within close bonds, and how a singular friendship becomes the catalyst for shift.

The color palette shifts deliberately between cool restraint and warmer tones, mapping the protagonist's changing view of existence. These choices function as visual markers that steer the reader through layers of self-awareness.

Collage elements parallel the gradual assembly of identity—fragments building toward coherence. For the coat's inner landscape, I combined engraving, monotype, and precise ink lines to achieve a crisp, restrained clarity that conveys fragility without sentimentality. The result exposes vulnerability and underlying strength in measured glimpses.

Handling both text and visuals allowed me to align narrative and image precisely, revealing how ordinary objects can carry complex truths about control, fear, and autonomy. The book invites a direct confrontation with these dynamics.