and fear around himself. The fence as a metaphor for self-protection is also a metaphor for isolation, and what began as a self protective measure became, in the end, self-destructive.
We all wall ourselves off to some extent. Boundaries are an important and healthy component of stability and mental fitness. Our brains are wired to quickly sort things, people, and beliefs into categories in order to “understand them” and to determine whether they are helpful or harmful to us. Our brains do this by relying on our history, culture, background, gender, race and the messages we received as children about who we are and who other people are. But when we make assessments without allowing for new or competing information, our boundaries become rigid, and we risk isolating ourselves and intensifying our fear of others. What began as self-protective becomes self-destructive.
Crossroads is a call to keep our walls fluid, while also being conscious of who and what we let in and keep out. It is a reminder to re-evaluate often, and to be aware our prejudices, our fears and our projections. It is not a commentary on the current political climate except inasmuch as it is a call to recognize that rigid boundaries propagate fear and enhance our view of of those on the other side as “enemy.” It is a call to assess whether our boundaries are more helpful than they are harmful, personally, societally, and globally.
It is said that we teach what we most need to learn. As an artist, I create images about what I most need to l explore. All of my artwork, whether about juggling life priorities, maintaining healthy boundaries, or working to be in harmony with others, begins as a dialogue with myself. It is my hope that this dialogue strikes a universal chord.