She draws it.
This isn’t as depressing as I think I’ve made it seem by the title. It’s just my way of looking at life.
It’s how I think everyone starts their story. Without knowledge, and barely themselves. So all our life we are struggling to be who we are. Hence the imagery of a cell, our basic biological unit.
I’m not the happiest with the pencil lines, but at the same time I like the way it feels unfinished, like a life. So it’s doing right by me.
Have you ever tried to draw your mind?
When I “release emotion” through drawing, I’m actually releasing myself from the hold my thoughts and emotions have over me. The artwork ends up exposing what’s inside; it’s more about how I think than what.
To get an idea of my state of mind: I had been listening to a lot of true crime podcasts, including episodes regarding cults, when I drew this. Listening to the stories made me ask myself big questions about my place in the world, religion, protection, and responsibility.
It may not be visually stunning, but these types of drawings give me a different sort of pleasure and feeling of accomplishment. These “mind maps” remain the best way for me to explain what I am truly thinking.
Nature inspires, as usual! This work is obviously inspired by cacti, and also by something whimsical I thought of when I was little: that plants have entire little worlds hidden from us, inside of them.
Behold one of my more recent creations! She is the embodiment of the knowledge one gains through vigorous testing.
I kind of think of her as a monster. If I am to be honest, she’s more of a way for me to say “yes, I do love these aspects of existence” – the so-called ‘logical’; the blueprint we’re attempting to create for Life through experimentation.
She is like a net of concepts held together by both strong and weak connections. I really enjoyed drawing her.
Khadeja Ali draws 