Cultivated

Artwork story

For so long, I believed love and acceptance came from chasing people and seeking their validation. Growing up, I feared being defined by being raised by a single mother. I begged to be seen and constantly proved myself to people who never truly cared. This work reflects the moment I realized I had been chasing butterflies instead of becoming the flower. The colourful female portrait represents the parts of myself I gave away while seeking approval. The garden symbolizes my potential, originality, and the peace I found when I stopped performing for the wrong audience.

Theme

The work explores self-acceptance, identity, healing, and the desire for belonging. It reflects the journey from seeking external validation to discovering that love and acceptance can begin from within. The garden becomes a metaphor for personal growth and becoming grounded in one’s own worth.

Process

I use acrylic and my interlocking geometric forms to construct the female figure and the surrounding garden. The fragmented shapes represent the different parts of myself I once gave away while seeking approval. The layering of colour, patterns, flowers, and butterflies creates a visual relationship between the woman and the garden, showing her transformation from seeking outward to growing inward.

Emotion

The work carries emotions of vulnerability, reflection, healing, liberation, and quiet confidence. It begins from a place of longing and insecurity but gradually moves toward peace, self-awareness, and acceptance.

Reference

My reference comes from personal experience, womanhood, nature, and the butterfly as a symbol of transformation. The garden represents potential and originality, while the golden butterflies represent the love, belonging, and acceptance I once searched for outside myself.