Thursday, September 18, 2014

*


‘You look well-settled’ is the phrase I hear most often for the pictures I post on Facebook. There are others, less gullible, more curious, who want to know what the immigrant experience is really like. To give the right answers, I can perhaps do best with drawing out the series of images that keep recurring in my mind. These days my experiences are images and emotions which I know will fall apart completely if described in words. Maybe these drawings will become proper complete works one day, but for now, they are within the pages of a sketchbook, a visual record of a slow careful transition from one world into another, where every decision has to be weighed carefully before it is acted on; putting down roots takes time, the past has wiped itself out, the future is hazy, my goal is clear.

"You will find your own ethical dilemmas in all parts of your lives, both personal and professional. We all have different desires and needs, but if we don’t discover what we want from ourselves and what we stand for, we will live passively and unfulfilled. Sooner or later, we are all asked to compromise ourselves and the things we care about. We define ourselves by our actions. With each decision, we tell ourselves and the world who we are. Think about what you want out of this life, and recognize that there are many kinds of success."
 ~ Bill Watterson



10 comments:

Aarthi said...

Your drawings and Bill's words...both nail it :)

Beth said...

Oh, I am moved by that tiny balancing figure! And the lonely yellow house atop such a huge black hill...they remind me of my own journeys of transition, and how - even though friends were there holding nets and lanterns - we have to find our own way and our own balance.

Unknown said...

Compelling post, Priya. I love that quote. And your drawings are so evocative - smallness and enormity. Ah!

Priya Sebastian said...

Aarthi, Karine, thank you :)

Priya Sebastian said...

Dear Beth, thank you for that comment. I think you've helped me find the words I was searching for through these images. I will remember them.
In spite of the atmosphere of bleakness to these drawings, I am most definitely having a lot of fun and memorable times here thanks to some amazing friends I've made in Montreal :)

Gwen Buchanan said...

I totally relate to the quote you have by Bill Watterson.. seems no matter what country or stage of life, this is true. The simplicity of your charcoal work depicts it beautifully. Life really is a tightrope!
My Best to you, Gwen

Priya Sebastian said...

Thank you for your thoughtful comment Gwen. What is life without its sometimes precarious adventures? One keeps moving forward without trying to look down.

Truthsayer said...

Wow, I just visited your blog after more than a year. Welcome to North America. What ever happened to your cat?

Priya Sebastian said...

I boiled and ate her with a side of french fries.

Truthsayer said...

LOL...you with some Catsup?