Expressing yourself? Easier said than done.
Every one of us has had trouble expressing our feelings at some point in our lives. This could be due to several reasons, like having a hard time understanding our feelings, communicating, and/or verbalizing them.
When dealing with negative emotions, suppression has harmful consequences more than often. It is a lot healthier to express them and free yourself from the grips of negativity.
“The more people can talk about their experiences, the more it’s out there and cannot be with each other. “
The ability to express our emotions greatly facilitates our daily life. Let us show you how it does so.
Self-expression Through Art
Art is a means of expression. Any work of art springs from an individual, who wishes to record their reactions, emotions, or feelings, whether through a brush, a pencil, a musical instrument, their voice, or a camera. Many are the tools; one is the goal: channeling emotions. Expressing oneself.
Art and expression are intrinsically intertwined. Since the beginning of time, people have given their souls refuge in various forms of art.
“The more people are able to talk about their experiences, the more it’s out there and cannot be with each other. “
People often use art to pour out their emotions, to walk away with empty thoughts, their oeuvre often allows more people to connect with their artwork, and consequently open up towards their own emotions and face their own wounds.
UAE-based photographer Waleed Shah captures a moment in the lives of different men and women with accompanying stories that zoom in on their insecurities and what they usually hid behind smiles and Instagram filters. He shares with Reem Shaheen, how his project, Rock Your Ugly is a middle finger to toxic beauty standards and a reclamation of power through this one simple truth: we all have things we don’t like about ourselves… but why hide it, when we can rock it?
And although people’s experiences differ, they all have one thing in common: emotions. Be it grief, joy, heartbreak, sadness: all are universal emotions that visit people in different clothes.
By expressing these emotions, we are giving people space to react and get in touch with their feelings to explore and heal from them as time goes on.
“Some stories are still ongoing, their conflicts haven’t been resolved yet.”
With every piece of art, an artist leaves a part of their soul for the world to view. With every poem, every painting, every picture, every song, and every movie, a sense of being is folded in between. Left for the world to feel, to connect to, and to understand and make their own.
There is no right way to be an artist, there are no guidelines or workbooks that dictate the rule of art because there are none.
Art is what you make it be.
Art is what you feel, and who you are. So embrace it.
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