By Alexa Toner

Art by Liz Nedelescu
Every interaction we have with others lends itself to the formation of how we are perceived. Through thousands of interactions, thousands of perceptions have been formed, and multitudes of versions of ourselves exist to the people around us. But how accurately do these representations reflect the way we see ourselves? Like the far side of the moon, we all have a face perpetually hidden in darkness, one that we don't bring to light. Nevertheless it is there, and again as with the moon, we would not be full without it.
There is vulnerability in being uninhibited and completely honest without the comforting shroud of darkness. In his writing, Charles Bukowski personifies this deep sense of vulnerability as a bluebird in his heart, one only let out to sing at night while everyone else is asleep: “He’s singing a little in there...and we sleep like that with our secret pact.” We all have our bluebirds within, with whom we've created secret pacts to only be let out in the cover of the night; we all
have things about ourselves that we tend to shelter from the outside world. Despite these anxieties, I believe that people in general are more alike than they are different. As a response to the complexities of life, humans have an instinctual drive to create art. This is not only an essential aspect of our humanity, it is something that binds together humanity as a whole.
For millennia, humankind has turned to visual expression as a means of storytelling, connection, and communication. To convey our innermost emotions, to communicate what we can’t put into words, we translate these feelings into a visual language. Particularly as art students, we have the opportunity to transform our abstract ideas into tangible representations and this can open the door to a level of understanding that transcends boundaries. In the after hours of our daily routines, when we can retreat into ourselves and escape in a craft that allows for our full freedom of expression, we are leaving behind vulnerability with every brushstroke. These glimpses into our perspective, being articulated and preserved with great care and detail, can now be brought to light and introduced to the unspoken discourse that surrounds us.
It is a narrative under our control and a view inherently our own, and these are the moments that reflect the way we see ourselves most clearly. If we would more freely extend invitations to a glimpse into our minds and hearts, I believe we would find kindred spirits and new perspectives. Free from any and all social obligations, those bluebirds can sing the songs that we have buried in our hearts. Even still, there are songs whose echoes will never leave the chamber of those hearts and illustrations that will never leave the pages of our sketchbooks. No
matter which mask we might find ourselves wearing, when we create from the heart, our art speaks to each other in ways we cannot.
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