duality isle.
how sense of place factors into awareness and art.
for the second time in my life i find myself living on an island.
is this the byproduct of a wanderlust spirit; the need for a shake up; an attempt to answer questions equal parts practical + fantastical?
simply put, yes. yes to it all.
welcome back to imprints and to wednesday. i’ve been tucking into some lingering sketches and creating new art this past week, i want to share what it’s all about. let’s get into it…
this time on island is different than my residency in the past, if not due to the geographic disparity — one being a frozen tundra, the other being a lush jungle — then because of the questions i find myself asking. intriguingly it’s not the questions that are different, it’s how i’m answering them this time around.
i had no notion of being an artist when i was on ice. taking photos was something i did naturally and there were times on my days off when i’d wander around mcmurdo station + the ross island surrounds looking for compositions without knowing this was what i was up to. i’ve always been a lover of light, angles + unexpected forms. so now being in hawaii, armed with a creative toolbox formed over the past decade, i find myself processing more intentionally, more voraciously.
there was an natural pause after arriving here, an overwhelm of senses that always accompanies the first days and weeks in a new place. as time has marched and i’ve settled into routine i find myself articulating my observations through imperfect lines and stark, open, abrupt space. the more i pause to look around the more i’m recognizing that what i’m observing goes beyond the classic wherever you go, there you are to more of a wherever you are, there you’ve been.
it’s the distillation of experience down to base commonalities that seems to be manifesting this for me. it’s one thing to compare island life of the warmer climes to itself: sandy beaches, small populations, access to goods. it’s another to take two islands in two starkly opposed climates, one surrounded by the warm pacific ocean, the other surrounded by the frozen antarctic sea ice + the polar plateau, and analyze the uncanny ways in which they both make you feel.
apart from being overwhelming grateful that i’m even able to strike such a comparison, the predominant feelings are chaos + calm. ever present and fully complimentary of one another.
i attribute this to the profound presence in both places of elements in equal parts.
immense water → whether frozen or liquid, it’s always flowing.
solid earth → formed of volcanoes ever present to your daily line of sight.
perpetual fire → in the sky, reflected on water, sand, moon and ice.
whipping wind → present + persistent, seemingly pushing the days along as it molds and forms the clouds overhead.
adjacent to these forces, it’s the unseen currents integral to air + sea that seem to have had, and are currently having, the most profound affect on me. on a still day the ocean keeps pulsing in the bay. on a blustery one, the swell may be forgiving enough for a peaceful float on the surface. the ebb + flood juxtaposition is providing me with insight i didn’t know i was after. helping me to see that this beautiful balance is always there, even in those places that are more temperate.
this island is a cacophony of sound + the previous island was nestled among the earth’s quietest place. the shock to the system that is anything in the extreme serves as a powerful palette cleanser, forcing eyes open to the subtle beauty that’s always there. after this exposure to a spectrums end, i find myself once again aware of the need for that very balance mentioned above.
cheeky, isn’t it? this duality, it’s ever present. it’s ironic how as soon as i tune back into it, any notion of questions fade.
there lies only beauty at the midpoint of chaos + peace.
the pieces i’m creating and releasing of late are all born of this journey. the undercurrents archetype is a beacon in a time of unknown. a reminder that it’s okay not to know. i have no idea how many pieces will come of this creative spell, let’s find out together.
if you enjoyed this, please hit the 🖤 and help others discover my writing + art. thank you for reading and / or listening this week.
do you have questions or comments? i welcome them below.
see you wednesday!
⚫️✨
p.s. here’s some music that just feels right.
Beautiful words + beautiful arts 🥰✨
Oo yah I like that album.