“Beholder”
SIZE: 16.5" tall x 5.5 wide

Shepherding our perspective is one of the most powerful forces we have at our fingertips as it shapes the view we have on ourselves, on our environments, and on our relationships. My intention with this design was to show how we can take something positive (signified by the alive flower) pass it through our perceptions and twist it into something negative (signified by the dead flower). When I was drawing it I was personally reflecting on my recent struggles with my body image. Instead of focusing on how fortunate I am to be healthy and strong, I’ve been focusing on how uncomfortable I’ve been with extra weight and an aging body. I think it’s normal to feel these emotions as I’m just human after all, but this month i’m actively working on changing this perspective. 

When I showed Alex my design and told him my concept, he pointed out that the design goes both ways, I had been so focused on the negative that I hadn’t considered the dead flower also passes through the eye and turns into the alive flower. Which I just love because it speaks to the real power of perspective, that even the thoughts we have that are of decay can be changed to those of life.