I don’t know if it’s a decision we make, or if it’s made for us before we get started.
But for many of us, emotions are not something we show.
We bottle them.
And that’s expected of us, perhaps rightfully. Some cultures allow more public displays of emotions. Others, they don’t want none.
But like any bottles, if we keep filling them, we overflow.
That said, since we’re so used to bottling them — it’s sometimes hard to know how to actually let it flow. We have so much more practice at building walls, than tearing them down.
This is so hard for me
To find the words to say
My thoughts are standing stillCaptive inside of me
All emotions start to hide
And nothing’s getting throughWatch me fading
I’m losing all my instincts
Falling into darknessTear down these walls for me
Stop me from going under
You are the only one who knows
I’m holding backIt’s not too late for me
To keep from sinking further
I’m trying to find my way out
Tear down these walls for me now
This is where art dwells.
Because it’s hard to function as a collective, if emotions flowed out too freely — we needed to learn how to contain it. Next, we need to learn how to channel it.
From aching songs to jubilant photos, we capture, bottle, then instill our emotions to our outputs. We pour ourselves out onto them, hoping, that it’ll help someone else do the same.
We are emotional beings. But the way it is right now, it’s hard to be everything we are, especially on the outside.
But there’s a safe place for us. We share our work, tell our stories, to create this place.
I hope you connect with our art. We let down our guards, so you can, too.