Inside the aquarium of my mind

Where did our beliefs originate from?

Dear reader,

This week I want to share with you the first series I completed for my What Makes You Feel Free? collection, “Depths of My Mind”. This series was inspired by a snorkeling trip in Bali, where I had the pleasure of experiencing such vibrant marine creatures & corals up close and personal. As I marveled at all the colors underwater, I knew I wanted to capture that same feeling of awe as soon as I got back to the studio.

DEPTHS OF MIND SERIES. On a deeper level, my intention was to represent the internal process of recovering one’s freedom.

Allow me to share a metaphor I often refer to when I meditate: First, imagine the mind as an aquarium. It’s full of fish and coral formations plus yourself, swimming amongst them. Visualize your passing thoughts as the fish who live here, and your deeply held beliefs as the coral formations that influence the way the fish move around the aquarium.

Now, imagine yourself stepping outside the aquarium, merely observing the way the little ecosystem operates. From your new view, you realize that you can design the aquarium so the fish have an easier time swimming around. You realize that you can even choose which fish to keep in your aquarium — and which don’t really belong there. In fact, you’re not really even sure who originally designed the aquarium and where those fish came from, but now that you’ve gotten a better perspective, you have the chance to decorate it better than before.

Over time, you even realize that the glass walls of the aquarium seem to disappear, and that you are one and the same with the whole ocean of consciousness.

And there you have it—I hope you enjoyed that short visual thought experiment. Ultimately, this series is about examining our deep rooted ideas that drive our choices and shape our lives. How much of our belief system did we freely choose? And how much of it was simply inherited from our culture, religion, and social upbringing?

These are big questions to pose for some small-sized artworks, and yet that was my intention behind them. And of course, the answers to these complex questions are never black-or-white for anybody. It’s a deeply personal process. These aquarium-like paintings remind me that the path to freedom begins with self-reflection and un-identifying with your habitual ways of being.

Sometimes we become so used to “being who we are” that we rarely stop and examine whether the personality we’re accustomed to revealing is true to our core self, or if our behaviors are driven mostly by social conditioning. A helpful question to reflect on is: Who are you really, when nobody is watching?

I hope you enjoyed this Studio Notes. More importantly, I hope you can take the time to check out our exhibit at Gallery Genesis until July 31!

Much love,

B

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PS. I’ll be in Gallery Genesis on July 13, Saturday! Drop by & say hi!

PPS. For sales inquiries, please contact Gallery Genesis Art Sales Manager, Nadine Nicolas, via email nadinenicolas@gallerygenesis.com and mobile 0939 427 7121.

Thank you for your time! For inquiries on my other work or custom commissions, please email isabelpolicarpio@gmail.com, or send a DM on my art Instagram. :)