Efflorescence
Olivia F.
Acrylics
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This piece is about what it means to bloom. When thinking of the word bloom, I imagined flowers and a type of new birth. I also associated a positive type of growth and reaching towards more with blooming. Then, I began to think about how the word connects to myself. I am a perfectionist. I am in constant “work mode,” always trying to accomplish something new. Yet, I feel that I have yet to “bloom.” To me, blooming is not only what is an accomplishment in the eyes of others, which I feel is what our society often prizes, but self-fulfillment and satisfaction. I feel that there are influences around me, trying to show me where I should go, pointing out my path, yet in the center of it all, I aim to reach for something past, into the bright unknown. In making the piece I went through a few possible poses, from being curled up to facing the side and looking up. Yet in the end, I went with this forward-facing pose with an arm reaching up high because it yells “I am here! And I am strong!” Thus, this piece encapsulates the tension, yet beauty, of blooming in spite of hands that try to control and cage one in.
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To me, creativity is taking RISKS! It is a tool that is used to bring to life new worlds and to push past our current. Creativity is the armor to face emotions and realities that I might otherwise ignore. Creativity is joy. Without creativity, I am simply put, not ME!
