A Letter From The Artist
At age six, I asked my mom if she would sit still for 30 minutes so that I could draw her. It was a big request for a mom of three young kiddos who had many responsibilities, but she always wanted to cultivate creativity in us and was happy to sit (still-ish) for me. Soon enough, I was asking my brothers, my grandparents, my dad, and anyone else who I thought may say yes. A lifelong love for seeing people began.
At age 12, another narrative started unfolding, a narrative of self hate and criticism. I gathered intimate experience with body image issues, the comparison game, and speaking words of venom to the mirror. Eventually, someone in that position has to either distract themselves to ignore the reality… or face the reality as it is.
So I did the work. I admitted that I held harmful beliefs about myself, I had hard conversations, and I started drawing myself. My dad was especially helpful during this stage, listening to my stories and asking the right questions to promote growth. So many others played small and large parts in my story too. For all of them I have eternal gratitude.
Over time, I learned that there is a difference between our self-perception and our true nature. Negative self talk evolved to neutral self talk, which was the fertile soil in which compassion could take root. I started seeing myself through the eyes of my inner being.
I learned to love myself through seeing myself for who I am.
And I kept coming back to my pencils. Learning how to capture the nuance of somebody - not just the physicality, but also their state of being, their spirit - became my passion.
I now devote myself to helping others see their true selves. Only good comes from greater self awareness and compassion, and peace is the natural by-product of seeing reality as it is.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you.
With gratitude,
Elke “L-key” Arnesen
