AUTHOR: KATE GOLTSEVA, PAINTER and GRAPHIC DESIGNER from NEW YORK

Who are you and do you know yourself? This is the question we frequently ask.

All parts of your mind and soul are arranged together as one solid piece. And you feel like a self-contained planet in the world. That was before… And what happens after you meet another planet, as we often call it, a “soulmate”, as strong and solid as you, but revolving in another galaxy, with its own rules and gravity?

Cognition, by Kate Goltseva; mixed media

At the first sight, you attract each other by mutual uniqueness and interests, and you want to see how it goes, how your beautiful parts go along with each other. And thus the process of integration begins.

You experience something you’ve never used to before. With the time, your souls become closer, and small elementary parts of your structure merge down. You are already more than in love – you are living life of one personality with two bodies…You are breathing in the same pace, suffering same fears and, at the end of the day, you forget how it was before – before your two universes proclaimed themselves as one. It all can lead into an endless union, happiness, and support through life.

But what if not?.. What if it just “stops”, and you are driven apart? How to recall who you were before? Or better – how to realize who you are now? For me, going through this process means the way of reinventing myself. A popular saying teaches us: everything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It is how you can experience the depth and capability of your own strength.

Making art is a perfect healing process. While your mind is crushed into small diverse pieces, your arms and body still remember the way to create. That’s what I call body-memory. It doesn’t matter if you have an “inspiration” or not. Just let your hands start – take the canvas, paint, and make the first move, then the second, and the next, further and further. You will feel how your mind gets in collaboration with it, effortlessly. All your frustrated thoughts now are focused around colors, shapes, and lines that you create. You just feel collected again.

It’s not necessary at all whether you finish your artwork or not. You can keep the artwork or throw it away after all, but the energy you’ve gained through the process of creation will be kept inside of you.

With each day when you practice, you become more fulfilled with this creative energy. Enjoy your creative process: create for yourself – the person you should love, admire, and want to help. You are a person who you will take care of, from now on. And remember: everything in life is a path – everything that happens to us is not accidental. The experience brings up a better you, a stronger you, a more complete you.

*The writer of this publication is Kate Goltseva, a New York City based artist. Recently, Kate discovered the beauty of the ancient healing method, Ebru. She became a true fan of it and started implementing this art technique into her paintings. She also became the Ebru art instructor for RE:ARTISTE’s workshop program. Find out more about Kate Goltseva here.