Talking About “Seeking Changing Tides”
1) Basic Overview
“Seeking Changing Tides” is an artwork made of Soft Pastel and White/Black ink and features a woman with three Phoenix Birds flying around her. The idea around this artwork is that the woman is ready to renew herself by changing some down points in her life. She is ready to take a chance on herself to reach for goals she always dreamed about.
2) When was it made? What Collection is it for?
Originally, “Seeking Changing Tides” was going to be a stand-alone artwork, but with time, it became a part of the “Strong Willed Heart” art Collection. It was the first artwork completed for the Collection, though unfortunately, I don’t remember the exact date I completed it. I do remember that it was completed in early June 2023.
3) How did it come to be? What’s the Inspiration?
At first, I was playing around with my soft pastels because I wanted to practice blending, and slowly the colors reminded me of a Phoenix bird. Little by little, the artwork started coming together, starting with the woman and then the birds. I admit that, at the time, I was a bit hyperfocused on birds. After my last collection launch (which had an artwork featuring a Hawk), I was still in the mood to draw birds, so I just leaned into the focus and drew more birds.
Though I didn’t want to draw just any bird, I wanted to focus on a bird that aligned with the idea of “never giving up” and “rising from hardships,” hence why I drew the Phoenix Birds!
4) What did you learn from this artwork?
Overall, I did learn something about myself after completing “Seeking Changing Tides,” which is that I am someone who doesn’t give up or more accepted that I don’t like to give up. Sometimes I want to give up because it would be so much easier, but something inside me won’t accept cutting things short. This artwork showed me that no matter how many times I think I’ve given up, that’s not actually true. There will always be a part of me that wants to fly as far as we can.
5) Why add the water element to the artwork when Phoenix Birds are known for their fire element?
I wanted to add some of my culture into the artwork, so I added water falling from a pottery jug to show that holding your culture (even if it’s just a little knowledge) can help you rise up again. Acknowledging your culture is the same as acknowledging your ancestors, and knowing what they did to get you here is powerful because, whether it physically shows or not, you hold a lot of their love, knowledge, and strength that can get you through any rocky points. An example of strength being passed down is knowing how to uphold yourself. Something like that is not a physical trait but one that gets passed down to you through inner knowing or by family members (or other people in your life).
I also added the water element to show the balance between the two elements. Water and Fire help each other. Water puts Fire out when it gets overwhelming, and Fire helps Water when it needs to boil.
6) Since Phoenix Birds are depicted, are they your all-time favorite?
Yes, I really like them and the concept that they convey, but I also like the Red Tail Hawk and Owls. Phoenix Birds are my favorite mythical creature, though!
Overall, I like these birds because they look delicate from afar but are really powerful when you get close to them.
7) Back to your Collection, this artwork will be available as what?
For “Seeking Changing Tides,” it will be available as the original artwork (though there is only one), as art prints (that were the scanned copies of that artwork), handmade bookmarks, and stickers! I really love this particular artwork, so hopefully, when my budget increases, I can expand this artwork to different types of items. But for now, the products mentioned above are the items in the “Strong Willed Heart” collection, releasing on July 7th, 2023.
Overall, I think this is my favorite original artwork I’ve ever made. I love its colors, and it was an artwork that made me more confident to do more original artwork without fearing I’ll mess it up.
