Everyday one-on-one interactions can be difficult, or even draining, for empaths while those same interactions can barely register on the radar of others. Mass violence events, such as 9/11, school shootings, and other horrendous tragedies, elicit emotional responses from people on a massive scale, but they are seismic for empaths. As the news breaks about tragic events, there is an over-saturation of information and not a lot of answers. At those times, it's like slipping into a trance as I step outside of myself to absorb massive amounts of energy being released by others and channel them into something different, something positive. It's how I, and many emphaths, survive such events. The Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016, was one such experience.
The victims of this mass violence event weren't on the front lines of a war, they weren't charging into a burning building to save lives, they were... at a night club. And now they were dead. The senseless death of so many people so quickly was incomprehensible. I purchased alcohol ink and yupo for the first time shortly before this tragedy, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the living room floor working with dozens of pieces of yupo, all colors of ink, and masking fluid. The masking fluid was used to create circles. The collage artist in me took over and began cutting the pieces of yupo. In the days following the tragedy, the ritual was the same: meditate, cut, arrange, until finally emerged:
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| "Circles of Humanity" |
Throughout the creation of this piece, I couldn't shake the feeling of how connected we all truly are. When tragedies like these strike some, they strike us all. In life, how we respond to our circumstances forms the narrative of our story. Through our story, with its twists and turns, its sadness and celebrations, we connect with people. Over time, some of these connections strengthen, some of them fade, some of them damage us, and some of them light the way. We are colored by these experiences. Through these colors, stories, and connections, we weave this tapestry of humanity. In the end, we are all connected; we are all humans, feeling love and pain. What we do today matters, so always choose love.
Featured in this post: Circles of Humanity
All current artwork can be found in my profile at Fine Art America. Thank you for your time and your support.
