Navigating the Complexity of Emotions in Life with Art

There are so many moments that happen in our lives. It is so easy to let moments slip by without realizing how significant some of the smallest ones are.

We live in an age where we see so much on social media that creates an unnatural script around life. It paints a picture that shows almost all the highs and very few of the lows. If you ever stop to think about it, if it were not for the ebb and flow of positive and negative emotion, we wouldn’t appreciate the good times.

I find art a beautiful way of expressing a diverse set of emotions, feelings and senses. It is amazing to me how very beautiful the most painful and sad moments in life are. Capturing the essence of sadness can be the most riveting and beautiful art. Yet we want to shy away from those feelings far too often. 

The more I explore emotion in my art, the more I come to appreciate fully feeling all elements of emotion and expressing them. I realize there are times where we need to sit with our emotions no matter how hard and painful they might be. In doing so, not only is there inner peace but there is also learning and often empathy and understanding for others that grows.

I saw an upcoming call from Abington Art Center, Feeling Blue: Navigating Challenges through Art, a 2024 Annual Juried Exhibition. When I saw the call I was immediately drawn to the power of the show. My mind is swirling on my submission, but this I know for sure, we live in a time where art is needed more than ever to be transformative and healing. I feel blessed to be building my portfolio of work in a way that is personally healing and hopefully also meaningful to others.