I Believe I Can Fly
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2026 Mixed Media on Canvas, 50 x 50 x 3.5 cm
(Impasto technique / Texture with Acrylic, Modeling Paste, Rhinestones, Beads, PVA Glue, and Paper)
Do you think it’s possible to change our belief systems, or to overcome our fears?
When I was a child, I used to fly kites with my younger brother. We made them ourselves from natural materials found at home and flew them around the neighbourhood. One day, my kite got stuck on the roof of our house. I wanted to climb up to get it, but my mother was afraid I might hurt myself, so she told me not to, as I was only seven or eight.
But I wanted it back so badly that I waited until she went to work. I took the ladder and placed it against the roof. I paused at that moment, as I had to make a big decision. One voice in my mind warned me it was dangerous and that I shouldn’t disobey my mum. Another voice urged me to go ahead — if I wanted it back, I had to take action. I was afraid, but something that felt like courage pushed me forward. I took a deep breath and climbed up. The roof was about four metres high, which felt enormous for a child my age, and my heart was racing as I stood there. Then I found my kite. I remember clearly that, in that moment, I felt something I had never felt before: an uplifting emotion. Perhaps that is what freedom feels like — the subtle moment when we step beyond our fear.
This childhood experience has taught me a lot. I know that If I were to be a mother, I would probably have told my child not to climb so high as well. But as I didn’t have anyone to help me, I was encouraged to overcome my own limitations. Now I truly believe that challenges are given to me so that I can learn to turn them into gifts.
This painting is inspired by that memory. The origami bird symbolises childlike innocence and reminds me to become aware of the fear-based thoughts within my own limiting beliefs. Perhaps freedom is simply a state of mind — and maybe the human mind is meant to be set free, to fly like a bird.
When I was a child, I used to fly kites with my younger brother. We made them ourselves from natural materials found at home and flew them around the neighbourhood. One day, my kite got stuck on the roof of our house. I wanted to climb up to get it, but my mother was afraid I might hurt myself, so she told me not to, as I was only seven or eight.
But I wanted it back so badly that I waited until she went to work. I took the ladder and placed it against the roof. I paused at that moment, as I had to make a big decision. One voice in my mind warned me it was dangerous and that I shouldn’t disobey my mum. Another voice urged me to go ahead — if I wanted it back, I had to take action. I was afraid, but something that felt like courage pushed me forward. I took a deep breath and climbed up. The roof was about four metres high, which felt enormous for a child my age, and my heart was racing as I stood there. Then I found my kite. I remember clearly that, in that moment, I felt something I had never felt before: an uplifting emotion. Perhaps that is what freedom feels like — the subtle moment when we step beyond our fear.
This childhood experience has taught me a lot. I know that If I were to be a mother, I would probably have told my child not to climb so high as well. But as I didn’t have anyone to help me, I was encouraged to overcome my own limitations. Now I truly believe that challenges are given to me so that I can learn to turn them into gifts.
This painting is inspired by that memory. The origami bird symbolises childlike innocence and reminds me to become aware of the fear-based thoughts within my own limiting beliefs. Perhaps freedom is simply a state of mind — and maybe the human mind is meant to be set free, to fly like a bird.
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