Feelosophy 1: The making of artless alchemy
Downing College, University of Cambridge
Imagine if you were granted a wish by the god, Dionysus: that everything you touched turn to gold. How would this make you feel?
When I decided that I would commit to becoming an artist, I knew I wanted a tagline to carry the spirit of the work I hope to create. Simple yet soulful. A compass to guide me.
Many of us live very “ordinary lives” and in doing so we sometimes dismiss the value of time. We wait for the big moments, milestones and achievements to validate our identities, and bring the happiness we so crave.
In the materialistic world, money has blurred the lines of happiness. We associate it with indulgence, the hope of freedom, be it financial, physical or even emotional. We chase it endlessly, thinking it holds the key to peace. We put our lives on the line to endlessly work towards something that has already been with us all along…
As life has evolved over these past few years, I have come to recognise that the little moments acknowledged with grace - can carry the value of gold. We must not cease to cherish such moments that add to our mental stability. It all comes down to a change in mindset, and a shift in perspective.
Let me introduce you to you artless alchemy. An intentional oxymoron by definition, where natural meets artificial.
Where the mundane reveals magic.
Where simplicity makes up the soul.
A place to find the gold everyday.
Because every moment, no matter how small, has the power to change us.
I thought about this concept long and hard on a recent trip to Cambridge. It was my first time visiting the city through my own lens rather than one shaped by others’ stories. There is something humbling about walking on the same paths that Stephen Hawkins, Sylvia Plath and Charles Darwin once discovered their genius works. But what stayed with me most was the beauty in Cambridge’s sculpted details, colours, symmetries and quiet corners. There was magic to be found in on doors, walls and trees. Time seemed to slow down to acknowledge these little gifts of inspiration. And I will never forget how the rain fell that day - a sudden crescendo of raindrops orchestrated like a farewell. It was an awakening like the arrival of a wave I didn’t know I was waiting for.
Door knob on cottage door
Artless alchemy then..is about finding something that makes you glad to be alive every single day. It is about letting what’s already around you shape your art without excessively overthinking it. It’s also about letting go of limiting beliefs, embracing self-love towards what’s already within you and allowing transformation to unfold in its divine timing. With this little corner of the internet, I hope I can offer exactly that - the behind the scenes, the raw and messy processes, the evolving philosophies of my mind and how it becomes to be labelled a ‘work of art’. My artless alchemy for the day was the spontaneous walk to the grocery store at in the evening, having spent my whole day inside, and seeing the way the sun glazed the trees in this ethereal golden coat.
“The role of an artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see. - James Baldwin ”
Not everything in life has to become gold, but it should be treated like gold. You never know when it will serve you. There are moments that have a value, that you don’t often see until time has passed, but let me be the lover who lets you see them sooner yet deeper.
