Imagination: Where Illusion and Reality Meet
After reflecting on grounding in art, the moment when the brush touches reality… it’s time to write about the other force that drives creation: IMAGINATION.
Artists live between two worlds. One is the physical world of materials, tools, and technique. The other is the inner world, where images, possibilities, and ideas appear before they exist. Imagination is what allows an artist to see something that is not yet there.
Without imagination, art would only copy reality.
But imagination is different from delusion.
Grounding in Art: The Line Between Illusion and Reality
Traditional art draws the line between illusion and reality the moment you touch the brush.
It keeps the artist grounded, preventing them from going too far into illusion or becoming lost in it in an unhealthy way.
Painting: New Friends
My artworks have always been intensely inspired by both good and unpleasant memories. But in recent years, I’ve noticed a shift in the stories I choose to create. I now gravitate toward pieces that come from joy and genuine inspiration, like “Boat Ride,” instead of building my work around experiences that once felt ugly.
Inspired by the Birds of El Nido
I recently came across a photo of myself with a bird flying across the sky, taken at the Gate of Heaven in Bali. It immediately brought me back to the birds in El Nido.
There’s a certain stillness you notice when you watch birds in El Nido. You still hear them chirp, there’s no silence there, yet the sound feels soothing rather than intrusive. Their presence wastes nothing, especially when they hop onto my window straight from the wilderness. They arrive unannounced yet unmistakably welcome, sitting there and chirping as if in conversation with me.
I don’t understand what they’re saying or what occupies their minds, but their energy says it all. No hidden agenda. Maybe only a message that reveals itself over time.
It speaks of presence, intention, and movement that needs no explanation. Energy doesn’t need words. What arrives in alignment doesn’t need to perform. And alignment here isn’t strategy.
So, leave the tactics and strategic moves at the office, your personal life doesn’t need to be overthought.
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