My illustrations are inspired by emotions, and all these feelings that keep us connected.
Since we are social creatures who value spending time together, feelings of isolation and loneliness are often perceived as negative. They can definitely be crippling, but they can also be valuable for self-reflection and personal growth if we allow them to – and this is what my piece ‘Solitude’ hopes to convey.
When I drew ‘Solitude’, I had been going through a phase of drastic life changes that had left me feeling a little lost, isolated and lonely. Looking back, those moments of solitude I experienced actually gave me the space to breathe and think that I didn’t realise I needed, and they allowed me to find my creative way. It was then that I decided to put my energy into projects I am still growing today, including finally launching my creative studio and researching how I could take my illustration ideas into print, textile and tattoo art – which until then I never felt I had enough energy or skill for. So I believe that solitude, just like any unpleasant emotion or feeling, doesn’t have to be a source of pain or creative blocks we experience as artists and designers. It can instead be an opportunity to grow and become more focussed, as long as we remember that no emotion or state of being is permanent, and that everything is a matter of perspective.
‘Solitude’ combines several visual elements to make symbolic connections between isolation, growth and hope. It also merges my varied interests in storytelling, botanicals and folklore with my blackwork aesthetic.
