Emotions

you’ve felt before but couldn’t explain.

“Artists coax the invisible towards a form where it can become faintly visible, silence towards voice, and the unknown towards intimacy. Artists help us to see what is secretly there.” -John O’Donohue

The Challenge

My daughter shared a series of images she saw on social media naming a few uncommon emotions that people feel and recognize but are hard to explain. She thought I might want to try creating a series of images, one for each of them.

Of course she is right and I find this interesting. As I was looking through my images to see what I already had to work with, an image I already created came to mind. So today, instead of creating new images for each one I picked an image I already created that felt the closest fit. I’m certain this will stay somewhere in the back of my mind as I create more. Some of these I had a hard time choosing and some I am motivated to spend more time with because I did not have as many to chose from.

The Images

Forelsket: The euphoria of falling in love.

Eudaimonia: A contented state of being happy, healthy, and prosperous.

Hiraeth: A homesickness for a home you can’t return to or that never was.

Saudade: A deep emotional state of nostalgia, longing for something or someone that one cares for and loves.

Flaneur: The act of wandering aimlessly, simply observing life and your surroundings.

I just love the voice art gives to things that are so hard to express, and to things we are sometimes not even aware we know until it’s given a form.