Strength in Shadows
For most of my life, I cast aside my temper.
My forceful will. My tears that flowed too easily, and the silly daydreams that distracted me in school.
My emotional current that ran through me with such power, that I often felt swallowed whole.
These traits and qualities that were deemed “too sensitive”, or “too emotional”.
“Don’t take it so seriously”, he said.
So I smoothed out the lines of my face. And laughed when I was supposed to laugh.
And learned to hold in all of those feelings, that were sure to be too much.
Sometimes it would crack, when someone got hurt and I laughed a little too hard.
Or I would see a lonely dog on the street, and start to cry.
Like pulling back on the reigns of one thousand horses,
every ounce of my energy was dedicated to this necessary pursuit.
Until one day, I realized that I had no more joy.
Because joy is an emotion too. And the more I said “no” to the things I loved,
to the fantasy, and the romance, and the silly little girl inside, the more grey and dull life became.
These parts of myself that I cast into the shadows, were the same things that cast sunlight in my life.
They were what gave me strength, in times of challenge. They were the ways that I connected to other people.
The romance, and the silly imaginary tales, the readiness to cry or laugh if anything touched my heart.
These are what make this life worth living. And they are what made me whole.
This is an acrylic painting on primed canvas, with a sweet textured layer of pastel on top. It features bold contrasting colours and strokes of pink, green and black, and will imbue your space with courage and radical self acceptance.
28 x 28 inches
FRAMING
If purchasing framed, please email hello@erinhalla.com with colour request. Frame will be a beautiful, floating frame, that elevates the painting. Colour options include natural oak, walnut, and white.
SHIPPING AND PICKUP
Free Pickup in North Vancouver, BC
If shipping, please order unframed, and the painting with be delivered unstretched, for safer and lower cost shipping rates.
For most of my life, I cast aside my temper.
My forceful will. My tears that flowed too easily, and the silly daydreams that distracted me in school.
My emotional current that ran through me with such power, that I often felt swallowed whole.
These traits and qualities that were deemed “too sensitive”, or “too emotional”.
“Don’t take it so seriously”, he said.
So I smoothed out the lines of my face. And laughed when I was supposed to laugh.
And learned to hold in all of those feelings, that were sure to be too much.
Sometimes it would crack, when someone got hurt and I laughed a little too hard.
Or I would see a lonely dog on the street, and start to cry.
Like pulling back on the reigns of one thousand horses,
every ounce of my energy was dedicated to this necessary pursuit.
Until one day, I realized that I had no more joy.
Because joy is an emotion too. And the more I said “no” to the things I loved,
to the fantasy, and the romance, and the silly little girl inside, the more grey and dull life became.
These parts of myself that I cast into the shadows, were the same things that cast sunlight in my life.
They were what gave me strength, in times of challenge. They were the ways that I connected to other people.
The romance, and the silly imaginary tales, the readiness to cry or laugh if anything touched my heart.
These are what make this life worth living. And they are what made me whole.
This is an acrylic painting on primed canvas, with a sweet textured layer of pastel on top. It features bold contrasting colours and strokes of pink, green and black, and will imbue your space with courage and radical self acceptance.
28 x 28 inches
FRAMING
If purchasing framed, please email hello@erinhalla.com with colour request. Frame will be a beautiful, floating frame, that elevates the painting. Colour options include natural oak, walnut, and white.
SHIPPING AND PICKUP
Free Pickup in North Vancouver, BC
If shipping, please order unframed, and the painting with be delivered unstretched, for safer and lower cost shipping rates.
For most of my life, I cast aside my temper.
My forceful will. My tears that flowed too easily, and the silly daydreams that distracted me in school.
My emotional current that ran through me with such power, that I often felt swallowed whole.
These traits and qualities that were deemed “too sensitive”, or “too emotional”.
“Don’t take it so seriously”, he said.
So I smoothed out the lines of my face. And laughed when I was supposed to laugh.
And learned to hold in all of those feelings, that were sure to be too much.
Sometimes it would crack, when someone got hurt and I laughed a little too hard.
Or I would see a lonely dog on the street, and start to cry.
Like pulling back on the reigns of one thousand horses,
every ounce of my energy was dedicated to this necessary pursuit.
Until one day, I realized that I had no more joy.
Because joy is an emotion too. And the more I said “no” to the things I loved,
to the fantasy, and the romance, and the silly little girl inside, the more grey and dull life became.
These parts of myself that I cast into the shadows, were the same things that cast sunlight in my life.
They were what gave me strength, in times of challenge. They were the ways that I connected to other people.
The romance, and the silly imaginary tales, the readiness to cry or laugh if anything touched my heart.
These are what make this life worth living. And they are what made me whole.
This is an acrylic painting on primed canvas, with a sweet textured layer of pastel on top. It features bold contrasting colours and strokes of pink, green and black, and will imbue your space with courage and radical self acceptance.
28 x 28 inches
FRAMING
If purchasing framed, please email hello@erinhalla.com with colour request. Frame will be a beautiful, floating frame, that elevates the painting. Colour options include natural oak, walnut, and white.
SHIPPING AND PICKUP
Free Pickup in North Vancouver, BC
If shipping, please order unframed, and the painting with be delivered unstretched, for safer and lower cost shipping rates.
