To those who know me best, it’s no secret that my favorite movie is Spirited Away, created by Hayao Miyazaki and his company, Studio Ghibli. I was originally captivated by the amazing artwork and the feeling of wonder I got while watching it, but slowly fell in love with the message behind the movie. The main character, Chihiro, is moving to a new city when she and her parents get lost and end up stumbling into a fantastical spirit world. Chihiro is forced to face this new world on her own to save her parents, who have been turned into pigs by the movie’s antagonist. It’s such a timeless story about the loss of childhood innocence and entrance into adulthood as a competent individual. There’s a reason why coming-of-age stories like Spirited Away are so popular: it’s a shared human experience (something I love learning about). Everyone, at some point, has to go through the transition from naive childhood to the reality of life. While this can sometimes take a dark turn, I personally find hope and inspiration in this idea. That’s one thing I love about Spirited Away: it dives into this concept with whimsy and such an uplifting tone. Although it’s hard, once you grow up and become the hero of your personal story, you get to experience the truly wonderful things in life.
If I think of my life as an entire story…
If I think of my life as an entire story, then childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are all distinct books with many chapters in each one. Making the transition between books brings about so much excitement and nervousness as nostalgia, fear, and hope for the future mix together. While each book is important, I think the transition time has always been my favorite. This was the inspiration behind my painting, “Birth of an Individual.” I wanted to recreate this transition time for such an important jump I made as a person: defining myself as an individual rather than by who was around me. For me personally, this was a long process and, in some ways, is still ongoing. Figuring out who you are outside of the people around you takes a lot of time, introspection, and life experience. I think this is such a crucial step in finding happiness and meaning in life. But how exactly do we become an individual thinker? Aren’t we just the product of our upbringing?
Aren’t we just the product of our upbringing?
Since becoming a parent, I have thought a lot about this for my son. Like all parents, I want him to have the best life he can and experience all the truly beautiful things in life. While I always want him to be a part of our family, I hope that one day he will be independent and lead his own life. I want him to find his own unique voice and make his mark on the world. This does come back to the question, though: aren’t we just a product of our upbringing? If that’s true, it sure is a heavy burden on parents to raise our children… but in a more general sense, it encompasses more than just what our parents do. It’s our family, friends, culture, local community, greater society, and biological drives that can shape us. I personally think the degree to which it shapes us varies from person to person. The debate of free will vs. determinism is a whole idea in and of itself, but to summarize, some thinkers posit that we truly are individuals with free will who can make our own decisions independent of outside forces, while proponents of determinism think that all of our thoughts and actions are the product of past events. Determinism states that there is no free will; everything you think and do is a logical consequence of what previously happened. I personally find this a bit of a depressing idea and leaves very little room for self-improvement or hope for a better future.
My philosophical worldview is grounded in the idea that free will exists…
My philosophical worldview is grounded in the idea that free will exists and that we truly can become individual thinkers. I do, however, think that, to some degree, determinism does exist. In an oversimplified way, determinism seems to be more of a baseline existence rather than the only guiding force in life. Some people seem better equipped to exercise free will and make decisions irrespective of previous events or biological underpinnings. This comes from repeated practice of self-discipline and self-reflection to overcome the automatic actions and reactions we make as people. Where this starts seems to be at the transition from childhood to adulthood, the space where coming-of-age stories take place. In order to start exercising more free will in your life, you first have to make this transition.
I think that’s why Spirited Away and similar stories speak to me on such a deep level. It was one of the many pieces of art that guided me through my transition out of childhood and helped shape who I am. Watching Chihiro navigate a mysterious and dangerous spiritual world on her own inspires me to face the challenges of life, a feeling I hope to share as an artist and as a mother.
About my art:
I believe that growing closer to nature creates a deep sense of purpose and happiness. This underlying idea guides my paintings, where natural elements veiled in symbolism come together to explore themes related to living a meaningful life. My painting style uses loose brushwork and bold color palettes to create simple metaphors that are often described as spiritual and poetic. Although my art may dive into darker topics, the overall tone is always uplifting. The concepts for my paintings are influenced by philosophy, religion, and mythology.
