Building Resilience Through Art

Abstract: This piece of writing accompanies the cover art, “Blessings of the Universe.” This essay, in combination with the painting, represents the resilience story of the Hustler and the Dreamer. This story is told in the Prologue, with the remainder of the piece describing the process of nurturing a sense of resilience for oneself when internal and external challenges present themselves. In an attempt to overcome creative block and step out of her comfort zone, Camellia Nguyen explores the myriad of contradictions, impulses, needs, obligations, loyalties, and desires that make up one person’s creative practice, all in an effort to cultivate a greater sense of personal and communal resilience. Through this essay, she hopes to encourage those who have ever felt uncertain or uninspired to confidently take their first step into the unknown and reconnect with their inner creativity.

Resilience \ri-ˈzil-yən(t)s\ (n): The ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune (Merriam-Webster dictionary)…and more 

Prologue 

Once upon a time, there were two souls on opposing sides of the globe. They never crossed paths, but they coexisted in the same universe.

The globe stays afloat on top of an enormous hand. This hand is only visible to the Hustler—one that strives to reach their goals and take full control of their life, seeing the hand as their final destination. This almighty hand, however, is not visible to the Dreamer on the other side. The seemingly carefree soul yearns for something grander outside of this universe and believes they could reach starry dreams by surrendering to destiny.

Yet on the upside-down of that universe, the hand becomes a branch of the tree of life. This time, the Hustler pursues the shooting star—the dreams and aspirations they believe are established by destiny. The star in this alternative universe is now the destination, and the Dreamer is at a spot where they can sit back and enjoy.

A Resilience Story, Painted 

The characters represent two conflicting inner identities in an ongoing battle to override each other. One part is a hustler that keeps pushing the limits to grow, obsessing over success and achievements. That rational side is fixated on existential needs—even to the point of exhaustion. The other part is a dreamer, who secretly prays to get loose and pursue pure enjoyment. This alter-ego is often contained in a box filled with responsibilities, hardly having a chance to shine.

As a human being, have you caught yourself giving up on fun to make it in life? You might find that the sacrifice pays off as you make notable achievements. Nevertheless, without the joy of living with passion, life is lacking in personal enrichment. Society preaches hustle culture, and self-help gurus endorse the illusion of success. But isn’t life more dimensional than that?

Being a full-time hustler can be rewarding, yet uninspiring and exhausting to most. It is, however, not a painless process to chase after your dreams. The moment I felt my soul frantically screaming for a break, I decided to pop open the box that held down my dreamer self and reconnect to my artistic core with a painting. That might sound like fun and play, which was true, but there was also lots of sweat and (invisible) tears in the process.

Do you notice the spirals at the heart of the globe, or the life that our souls are embarking on? Some may see them as obstacles, frustration, or the trajectory of puzzling trains of thought. Others might view them as clear-cut directions, a defined path, or an inevitable string of destiny settled for each and every one of us. And many will be able to appreciate both, as long as they harness “resilience.”

Resilience (n), redefined: the ability to embrace all challenges and opportunities to achieve desired outcomes with bravery, mindfulness, and diligence

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Writing Your Own Resilience Story

Imagine you are the protagonist of your own life story, and your mission is to survive all the enemies, plot twists, and drama before the story ends. You know that resilience is key, but how do you achieve that?

As I worked on “Blessings of the Universe,” I discovered an answer that works for me and could be helpful for anyone who is struggling to stay resilient in the face of hardship. Here are three strategies to use when challenges present themselves.

Courage

To have courage, one will need to make peace with failure. Even the best of us associate failure with disappointment, shame, and unhappiness. I myself am still fearful of failing, and my natural tendency is to avoid situations where I could fail miserably. But is there a point in being scared of sadness? E. G. Wilson, in writing Against Happiness: In praise of Melancholy, was not fearful of melancholia itself, but more of society’s effort to expunge it from the system. We are conditioned to deny the existence of unhappiness, while it is very much inevitable. Without the courage to accept the possibility of being disappointed, ashamed, or unhappy, one will hardly be resilient enough to avoid breaking down in the face of misfortune or pulling back when a golden opportunity arises.

“Sadness is intrinsically part of the fabric of happiness. You can’t have one without the other…There is no life where you can be in a state of sheer happiness. And imagining there is just breeds more unhappiness in the life you’re in.“

― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library

Be that as it may, be ready to battle the noise in your head that will try to hold you back:

“What if I mess up and waste all my time and effort?”

“What if the outcome falls short of my expectation?”

“What if no one cares?”

You would not be happy—that is likely the answer you would initially give yourself in response to the painful echoes. But if this initiative you are pondering turns out amazing, would you regret letting the negative what-ifs get in the way? Is it realistic to expect a happily-ever-after if you do not give yourself the chance for trial and error? If the answer is obvious to you, it is the perfect time to muster the courage and pursue your passion with your head held high.

In my case, there was a steep learning curve when creating “Blessings of the Universe.” My clumsy hands had a hard time getting the huge canvas, the brushes, and the colors to work in my favor. Even after I managed to get the hang of it, I was not always happy with the result and ended up redoing it multiple times. With that said, I would not have been able to keep going and dismiss the constant failure without courage. It still does not come naturally, but I am more confident in my mental readiness to courageously welcome any outcomes ahead. Make sure to lay this mindset as the groundwork to build resilience in your own life story, too.

Consciousness

“Courage is knowing it might hurt, and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that’s why life is hard.”

—Dr. Jeremy Goldberg

Indeed, there is a very thin line between bravery and stupidity. After all, jumping unprepared into something risky does not sound like what an intellectual would do. However, we can still be courageous while remaining smart and tactical. This is where consciousness comes into play to make life easier. When stepping into a situation outside of your comfort zone, take a deep dive into your inner human, social, and natural capitals first, and map a plan to draw them out (Anielski 18). The concept of capital is redefined, and these capitals are defined as follows:

Human capital: Strength of mind, body, and spirit; how capable you feel you are to think, act, and believe in the things you value.

Social capital: The quality and strength of your relationships and your community; the extent to which you trust others, have authentic experiences, experience genuine love and honesty, and hold values in common with others

Natural capital: The extent to which you feel connected to nature and feel that the environment that supports you and your community is stable for the future.

My painting was done when I was at my best state to draw out my triple capitals. I knew I had the human capital to make it work, having painted so much during my childhood years. I have friends who were kind enough to help me bring the bulky art supplies home and take beautiful photos for this project; they represent valuable social capital that genuinely brings ease to my life. My environment was also at its best as I had recently moved to a vibrant and spacious apartment where I felt safe and inspired. Being aware of those advantages motivated me to overcome moments when this art project seemed unattainable.

Altogether, a sense of awareness allows us to appreciate our achievements more deeply. On a personal level, I no longer doubt my ability to visualize and actualize my artistic ideas. I was also able to reconnect to my painter uncle, who was a significant role model when I was young and has become a substantial part of my circle once again. And after hanging the new painting, my new apartment finally feels like a complete home. So to those that are about to walk into the unknown, recognize your strengths and celebrate your hard work. You are worthy of more than a pat on the back.

Consistency

“We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another day; and no sunrise finds us where sunset left us. Even while the earth sleeps we travel. We are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and are scattered.”

―Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Remember the Hustler and the Dreamer in my story? While they are fundamentally different, they have one thing in common: they are both wanderers. Regardless of all the internal conflicts and external obstacles they might be dealing with during the process, the two souls cannot be deterred. Both continue what they do consistently with a firm belief in their expected outcomes. Indeed, whatever results they yield will bring about personal enrichment as long as the effort is sustained.

When you tread through this journey of self-exploration, buckle up—life will get in the way. As much as everyone would love to stay a full-time dreamer, there is still a life for our hustler selves. There is no fighting it, so take ample time to rest and reflect on your progress, but try to follow up actions shortly afterwards. While being consistent does not necessarily mean working non-stop, it is important to have self-discipline so a restful break does not derail you.

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If you practice courage, consciousness, and consistency, any experience will be one to remember. Plant the resilience seed in your heart, nurture it, and watch how it blooms into a stronger you.

Works Cited

Anielski, Mark. The Economics of Happiness. New Society Publishers, 2007.