The Pressure of Everything They Say You Should Be

This painting is from a collection that is inspired by the Japanese art and philosophy of Kintsugi (golden joinery). With Kintsugi, broken objects are repaired with lacquer and gold, highlighting the breakage and strengthening the weak parts. As a philosophy, it treats brokenness as something to be highlighted instead of hidden; it symbolizes healing and resilience. Kintsugi also creates a connection between two parts that may not be otherwise possible. We humans are different and unique in a myriad of ways but something that we all have in common is pain. Life does break everyone in some way but for some reason, we tend to try and hide those broken pieces of us even though they make us unique and relatable to each other. Breaking doesn't mean we have stopped being useful or beautiful, and my goodness, there are some beautiful humans in the world. The titles of four of the artworks in the [Un]broken collection answer the question, what broke you? Society often pressures individuals to conform to 'acceptable' versions of themselves. This burden is particularly heavy for those who identify as men. The expectations are astronomical, and many bear this weight in silence until they reach a breaking point. The consequences can be disastrous, affecting not only themselves but also those around them. This painting comes with a digital enhancement: by using your device, you can view an animated version of the artwork through augmented reality (AR).