The ‘Contradicting’ Gremlin
BOTH CAN BE TRUE
Both can be true. You can find joy in chaos, loneliness in a crowd, and strength in vulnerability. To be a real human is to be a contradiction. Contradiction takes time to understand and time to express.
That's why I'm playing the long game with artistic expression and finding my way of combining words and colour. It will take time to understand, but it will be worth the payoff because, in the long run, it will be more helpful to you and me than an algorithmic sell.
Our identities and actions are not static; we may align with our integrity in one moment and diverge from it in the next. The artist is the one who grows and changes.
MUSINGS
“I could walk you through a painting and point out its different parts, but it’s really important to me that nothing is too determined and pinned down.”
- Cecily Brown
“By the time I reached college, I had begun studying classical music. I decided that I didn’t want to take painting classes and was told to start at the beginning.”
- George Condo
Thought bubbles from the week
In a world obsessed with categorisation and quick judgments, it's easy to overlook the depth of human existence.
Our personalities defy simple labels and algorithms; we're intricate beings capable of simultaneously experiencing many emotions and contradictions.
Life things = Finding happiness amidst the chaos, feeling lonely in a crowded room, or experiencing joy despite others' suffering—these contradictions are inherent aspects of being human.
Our identities and actions are not static; we may align with our integrity in one moment and diverge from it in the next. The artist is the one who grows and changes. Out loud. They are permission slips.
There are no shortcuts.
Embracing the complexity of human experience means acknowledging our flaws, mistakes, and moments of weakness while recognising our ability to rise, surprise ourselves, and grow stronger.
We can be both weak and strong, fulfilled and hungry, inspired and restless, lonely and connected – all at once. It's the tapestry of contradictions that makes us uniquely human
We go at our own pace. Sometimes, life asks us to fly. Sometimes, it will be a run, and sometimes, it will be a gentle crawl into the darkness and stealth of the night. There are two kinds of movement: a pace towards the horizontal journey and a vertical movement into consciousness. One asks us to chase, and one asks us to receive; for both, there is a pace.
Fierce love brings fierce love back to you
Alright, Gremlin. Next week, there will probably be more of a storytime newsletter. For this week, it was one of those change-in-season reveries where things are forming. I’ve also witnessed how nature and art are connected: we use emotions as nourishment, we mature and root, we birth creative fruit, and we use art to carry the creative seeds to others. Eventually, we offer shade, and we return to the earth. Nature doesn’t stay still. She grows, she has a season, and she changes. Artists are the same. Speak soon. Love you.
