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The motif about tears like flowers, pearls, jewels etc. is a reoccurring theme in my work – it is actually based on an old Slavic folk tale that I used to have complicated love/hate relationship with when I was a child. It has a couple variations, but basically it’s about an orphan girl who had a blessing or a curse bestowed upon her that her tears would turn into pearls/roses. Her evil stepmother exploited it, making her cry day and night and then selling these tears for profit. The good won over evil in the end as always. We are taught to be “civilized” and be ashamed of our pure raw emotion, genuine tears especially. If kept bottled up to “keep front” and not express our grief and deep joy, it can break us. It is a powerful release and there is beauty in it. Emotions (if guided by emotional intelligence, or a certain spiritual understanding if you will) are the expression of true unguarded heart and is the essence of creativity, the colorful rainbow of life lived well and beautifully. |
