Embracing Chaos Amidst the Pandemic

All of us right now are uncertain of what will happen next. But I hope you are still doing something productive at this moment. I encourage you to focus on what you can control and stay away from the things that are adding unnecessary stresses.

In times of distress, I usually bury myself in the depths of Arts. It has always been my sweet escape. It calms my mind and brings me to a place that is physically unreachable.

Like you, I am also stuck at home. But I stayed away from the toxicity of social media, the news even. It just feels like it will only give unwanted worries. Instead, I am working on undone and unwritten blogs.

Writing is also a form of Art. Anything that helps expressing yourself, be it music, sport, and even acting through TikTok (I’ll pass on this XD), is a form of Art.

But do you know what I love the most about Arts? It is the thought of doing something despite not knowing how things will turn out. It is accepting the uncertainty and moving forward anyway.

In this post, I’ll show you the chaos before the beauty – literally.

I used to make visual Arts when I still had the luxury of time. This particular artwork I will be sharing with you was my contest piece for an Anime Villain Drawing Contest that happened two years ago.

I made a realistic rendition of Annie Leonhart from the anime Attack on Titan. The piece made me land the top spot where I earned cryptocurrencies as a prize.

This is how it turned out:

It may have turned out into a beautiful masterpiece. But before it became visually-attractive, I considered it a scrap. I almost threw the piece on its early stages since it is way beyond what I expected it to be.

The Process

It took me two days to finish this Artwork. I was lazy and unmotivated enough to finish it. Just look how peculiar it looks from the start. You would obviously see an alien instead of Annie.

But instead of giving up, I pushed through, hoping it would look presentable at the very least. I couldn’t give up just yet. Until it improved with every stroke I did.

On the second day, working with Annie’s body was rather challenging. It was hard to blend the colors as I was using soft pastels over an old brown envelope. One wrong stroke and the canvas would tear apart.

My patience was greatly tested. Then finally, TENEN!

You see, people will only care about the end result. I obviously won because it is visually attractive. No one would be interested in the process and in the time it took to finish it.

But beyond the recognition and the prize, it’s the process that gave me the impact. Whenever I am down, I look at the snaps of this very artwork to remind me that the ugly parts are essential to arrive with a desirable result.

Embracing Chaos Amidst the Pandemic

Obviously, no one is happy with what’s currently happening. The virus is taking a heavy toll especially on the ones who are directly affected. This pandemic even serves as a litmus paper to test the government, the local and global systems, and even the relationships right now.

We don’t even have the slightest idea of what will happen next. In fact, if the virus spreads further, it may cause the annihilation of mankind – either because of virus or hunger. That’s too tragic to think of, but everything’s possible.

But on the other hand, it may be a lesson to every one of us. It can be a test of patience, generosity, and compassion. And when all of these are over, we will be reborn with a fresh perspective in life.

I encourage you to look at how Annie evolved once again. What we’re going through right now is just a phase. And just like a work of art, I hope this will all lead to something beautiful.

Hang on there, man. We will all be going to get through this.