“Good Grief, #24” Mixed media, collage, wood panel. 8”x10”
How well do you know grief? Not how it feels- but how it shapes you? Not in its sadness and shades of gray- but the way it can shine?
I’ve found myself on many occasions grappling and fighting grief, at war with it. It is exhausting to compete with its globby mess that swallows everything it touches. It is here to take. It is here to wreck you.
Then there was this nagging feeling I had it all wrong. What would it look like if I let it in knowing full well it never truly leaves? It’s much like an unwanted house guest showing up at the most inopportune time. So instead of darting away when I feel it creeping towards me- what if I welcomed it, like an old friend? Gave it a hug and asked “my love, how have you been?” What would this thing look like if I cherished it unconditionally?
Grief strips away the facades of individual strength and invincibility. It reinforces the importance of compassion, empathy, and mutual aid in navigating life’s challenges. It underscores the beauty and strength that emerge from our shared humanity- IF you let it.
Love and grief are two sides of the same coin- and I argue that grief comes first. We are all entangled in this mortal life, knowing full and well that everything inevitably comes to an end. And yet- we choose to do it anyway. We choose the pursuit of long, fulfilling lives in spite of knowing that what is had will be lost.
The cost of admission to being human is not the ability to love and care. Rather- it is the capacity to feel the full range of emotional experience and willingly grieve with each other that grants us a soul. The sooner we reconcile that, the greater chance we have at a collective peace that can propel us all forward.
Knowing grief is hard. It takes patience. It takes work. It takes courage. It takes a willingness to not just feel- but BE vulnerable. Vulnerable to a point that you can sit with the pain of others as if it were your own. Vulnerable to a point that you would let it change you. It is with this knowing that the truest form of love and genuine appreciation of joy can emerge. Unlocking the door to grief and allowing it in only amplifies the beauty of this one wild and precious life.
In this season of work I explore the transformative power of grief, how it serves as a catalyst for connection, and provokes curiosity. Through my art, I delve into the resilience and memory that emerge from the process of mourning. Each piece embodies complexities and layers of grief- tinged with nostalgia and a desire make equal sense of the good and bad. By embracing the inherent vulnerability of grief, I aim to inspire viewers to find breaths of joy in the midst of sorrows.
If only we could recognize and cherish the profound beauty of what binds us, could we reach far beyond empathy for moments of emotional turmoil that we perceive being separate from ourselves. I hope those who engage with this body of work dig deeper into exploring their capacity to be vulnerable, their own relationship to grief, and the willingness to be moved.
This is Good Grief. What will you make of it?