Living Safe in My Cage

Author Unknown. from Essay Judge

I am simply trapped. I have always been trapped inside a cage; an unbreakable, indisputable cage. With the little room I have to breathe, I exhale. That exhale is my freedom. That freedom is my art. Art is the way I escape from my entrapment; but I have carried this burden with me since the age of innocence. What I am afraid to admit is although the cage is my trouble, it is more so my comfort. I feel safe; away from all judgment and away from my reality. The reality is I am not trapped, just lost. As I dwindle down my dark path to nothing, I stop. I remember that feeling, the feeling of freedom. I turn around in search for that freedom. My art releases me from the unbreakable cage. I am free, but only until the brush is worn. Then I enter into my cage and am once again confined. I unconsciously limit myself in every aspect besides art. It’s who I am; it is what I live for.

Degas once said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”. With all due respect to Edgar, I disagree. I believe art is about what I create it to be. If others grasp my concept then I have succeeded beyond my hopes. Art to me is not about pleasing others, but rather releasing yourself. The message behind my art is to show the process of release, or escape, from our “cages”. I genuinely believe that everyone of is in a theoretical cage of some sort. I want to bring this to life; to visual art. Anyone who looks at my art should have their own personal take on it, but if I achieved my goal, they will relate it themselves as a person. I truly stand by the fact that all art is extremely personal. I naturally create relationships with each work I create. Not only do I put all of my time and effort into my pieces, but I also add my personal life.