last year was an intense year and while i was stuck in a place of overwhelm in many ways i discovered minimalism.
my close family and friends know that i've always been drawn to simplicity in every form. both when it comes to lifestyle but also when it comes to other aspects in my life. i need calm and when i am in cluttered spaces it triggers my anxiety and i can't seem to find focus.
so looking back i can see how this is something I've carried with me all my life and minimalism was just a word for something i've always incorporated in my life and also in my art.
it's about: getting rid of attachment, finding the necessary, eliminating distractions, finding and surrounding yourself with purpose and beauty in every aspect of life.
removing the dead leaves so that you can bloom fully.
empathy and finding calm.
i've always felt more, than most people around me. it started when i was child at that time i couldn't really understand why i had these intuitive experiences that i wasn't able to explain or describe. it wasn't until a couple of years back when i started to read more about highly sensitive people and empaths that i felt a huge sense of relief that i wasn't alone with these capabilities and feelings.
this sensitivity has helped me understand people and situations on a deeper level and i am incredibly grateful for being able to support loved ones when they are hurting or experiencing hardship.
but, there are also times when you wish you could just be in a space without energetically internalize the pain and feelings of others. because often times highly sensitive people and empaths have trouble differentiating them from their own, so finding a way to escape toxicity and disctractions is essential at times.
painting is one of the outlets where i am able to distinguish my own feelings from the feelings of others and probably one of the many reasons i am drawn to art and creativity. it is necessary for me to refuel and to find myself in the midst of all of the energies that surround me daily.
if i can't release it through art, then nature is always a place i turn to in order to find inner peace, strength and healing. time slows down and everything else suddenly feels insignificant when i am surrounded by such majesty.