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During Covid, I went through a rough time and there was nowhere else to turn for answers but within. This is when I got into self-care, such as meditation, breathwork, and journaling. These things allowed me to calm my mind, self-reflect, and connect deeper to myself, providing me with clarity and helping me grow through that period.
And I realized growing through it was a journey. I also realized this "journey" can be related to other obstacles or hardships in one's life that you need to grow through.
The 1st piece in the collection, “The Sun Will Rise Another Day”, is about having the strength to let go of people and/or circumstances not serving you. For example, it's hard to let go of someone you miss, and this can hold you back from moving forward. So what I want people to walk away with when they look at this artwork, is to realize they have the strength to let go of anything emotionally, mentally, or physically if it's holding them back. I want them to open up to the self-love they need to stay true to who they are and know that they are enough.
Leave the mess in the sunset.
Continuing the journey, the 2nd artwork, “Ponder”, represents the self-reflection and examination we should all do after we've "left the mess in the sunset". Where do you go from here? Which direction? I think these are questions we should be asking every once in a while in our lives, not necessarily when something bad has happened, but just to make sure your life is going in a direction that is aligned with your self-fulfillment.
Socrates said, "An unexamined life isn't a life worth living".
I agree.
If you're not examining your life, i.e., self-reflecting, then you may be going in the wrong direction from where you want your life to be.
I think the pandemic really made people self-reflect on the direction of their lives, and hence the "Great Resignation". People quit their jobs because of wage stagnation, lack of benefits and career advancement, bad work environment, job dissatisfaction, etc. People realized their values and their jobs didn’t align with their self-worth.
No matter what your situation is in life, what I want people to come away with after viewing Ponder is that self-reflection is always a good practice to have.
Because when you look inwards, asking yourself questions like, 'What do I value?, Am I being valued?', you get to know yourself deeper.
And when you do, you are more confident in your choices and clearer on what direction you want to go.
The 3rd artwork in the journey, “Rise” (where the sun is rising), is about getting up, facing your self-doubt and fears, and moving forward once you’ve examined things such as your values and purpose. It’s one thing to make decisions in your head, but it doesn’t mean much if you don’t take action. I’m sure we’ve all been there where fear has held us back from taking action. For example, maybe you wanted to leave a job but the fear of the unknown and starting somewhere new kept you from taking action. Or the fear of rejection kept you from asking out a girl and a potentially beautiful relationship.
With this artwork, Rise, I want people to walk away feeling the inner strength that they have to face their self-doubt and fears and take action to start on a path toward the life they want.
Rise up and trust yourself.
Artwork 4, “Gap”, is about staying in the space between your thoughts and cultivating inner peace. This way, you can have the resilience to keep moving on even when negative thoughts discourage you from continuing to move forward on your journey or your monkey mind is distracting you from staying on track.
Deepak Chopra says "The knowing secret is in the gap between every thought, every sensation, every perception, every sound, every breath, every image, every experience…So, in the gap is infinite creativity, infinite possibilities, and pure joy."
Wayne Dyer said about the gap, “…it’s a space that allows us to build, create, imagine, and manifest all that we’re capable of creating with those thoughts.”
So the person in my artwork is in the gap, in the silence, combating negative thoughts that naturally arise within us, distracting us from moving forward. But also while in the gap, creative ideas are flowing in. And symbolically in the artwork, whatever is out beyond the arches is infinite possibilities and pure joy that can be attained.
I want this artwork to remind people to try to get in the gap throughout their day and stay in the silence whenever they feel overwhelmed. Also, go in the gap when you need to come up with creative solutions. Lastly, I want people to feel calm and know that there are infinite possibilities for joy out there.
“Sit and Sip” is the 5th and last part of the series, "Journey“.
We’ve gone from leaving the “mess” in the sunset, pondering our life to make sure we live in alignment with what fulfills us, rising up in the face of self-doubt and fears and moving forward, dealing with negative thoughts and overwhelm that set us back, and now we are here.
Sitting and reflecting once again.
I believe self-reflection is an important thing to do for self-care, self-development, and happiness.
And happiness is not a destination but a life-long “journey”.
This is because we are living a dynamic life; we will have different ups and different downs of varying degrees throughout. Happiness isn’t a sustained state.
Introspection to understand our emotions, mental state, and how we are affected by other people’s energy, words, and behavior, is important in understanding who we are, such as our triggers, fears, and strength.
When we know who we are, we’ll have boundaries and values that will keep us in check, and we’ll be more likely to know what we want in life, making it a more rewarding and happy one.
Apart from whatever this artwork evokes in someone, every now and then I would like them to look at the legs of the person and ask themselves, ‘Is this person disappearing or reappearing?’.
I’m not suggesting either answer is right or wrong, but if one answer makes them feel down, then I would ask them to dig deeper and ask themselves why they are feeling that currently.
If their answer makes them feel good, then hopefully they are in a state of mind where they can handle others and themselves, and stay on track to self-fulfillment.
So, sit back, introspect, stay in check, and have a drink, whatever that drink may be.
And sink into the stitch of your being.
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24” x 36” except for Ponder which is 30” x 40”
Acrylic paint, Foam Modeling Clay, Digital
Acid-free, PH-neutral, poly-cotton base
20.5 mil (0.5 mm) thick canvas
Canvas fabric weight: 13.9 oz/yd² (470 g/m²)
Mounting brackets included
Hand-glued solid wood stretcher bars
1.5″ (3.81 cm) deep