For several months, I’ve been dying to do a painting inspired by the song “How I Became The Sea” by Owl City (an iTunes bonus track for his album All Things Bright & Beautiful), and I’m happy to say that I’ve finally done it!

This is yet another one of my artworks inspired by the music of Owl City / Adam Young, and, as I always say, it definitely won’t be the last.  Adam’s music provides endless inspiration for me, but this song especially grabbed me.  I’ve been obsessed with all things oceanic as long as I can remember.  I’ve never, ever been one to lay out in the sun when at the beach, but always splashing around in the water.  I’ve often wished in the back of my mind, in a childish fantasy, to “be one with the ocean,” so to speak, to swim and live free in it.  Naturally, Adam’s poetic words in the song describing the concept “becoming the sea” speak to that funny little wish of mine.  The song has such a beauty, both in sound and lyrics, that I could never capture in an image, but in the painting, I did my best to depict a fraction of it.   Thank you again, Adam Young, for enchanting me and inspiring me constantly.

“And then, when the empress ran aground,

and my eyes turned blue and green,

I heard a gorgeous sound, and that’s when it became a dream;

When the sky fell in, when the hurricanes came for me,

I could finally crash again, and that’s how I became the sea.”

A self portrait piece on body image.  Here, you see the makeupless, real me holding a picture of the very manipulated me.  For the past few months, I’ve been taking steps of bravery by learning to accept myself physically, and know that who I am is not defined or changed by my appearance.