ArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023

Circle of Life

'Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.
When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.'

#LionKing #TheLionKing #TLK #Followfriday #fanart #Artofmaquenda #lion #Lionart #Digitalart #animalart

Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023

I have a lot to say about this piece, but I can't find the right words. I will try though because I always tend to silence myself...

I went through many emotions as I worked through this piece, so much love and nostalgia, a sense of awe but also grief regarding nature, letting go of childhood and former friends whom I know share the same feelings for TLK as I do...

Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023
But most of all I experienced a newfound love for this story again. Over the years I began to unintentionally associate this, dare I say intense hyperfocus fase in my life with the loneliness I experienced back then as an early teen, despite making profound connections I had online, it was not enough and I kind of pushed this time in my life away and tried to move on. Back then I made a very difficult decision to push my fears and seek connections outside the internet,
Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023

even though that's where all the kindred spirits were. It eventually worked out and I met connections in RL that really saved my life in times of turmoil at home and in myself.

During covid I began to fully focus on making a living with art, and while I love it, it also made me feel more alone again and it is not something a partner can and should solve,

Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023
Social media has truly damaged some part of me and made my PTSD symptoms flare up even more, which in turn helped me to seek therapy eventually as well, life is funny that way sometimes. I also had to distance myself from an important friendship, if not the most important I've had, that is even linked to this movie as well as we shared the same feelings for it.
Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023
Recently I had this familiar feeling of lonliness again, just like when I was younger. I was in denial about this feeling but it was slowly been consuming me and the online world only made it feel so much worse because everyone is angry and distrusting of eachother, and dare I say putting on a fake persona.
Show threadArtofMaquenda
Being an artist working from home and therefore making it harder to make friends you usually meet at work or in college, and realising I'm on the spectrum (or whatever it may well be.. it is hard to make friends in RL for me.. I might be an introvert, but it doesn't mean I don't love people and crave connections with people that understand how my brain is wired (spicy)
Jul 28, 2023 at 9:50pmWeb
Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023
But just like when I was a teen, and just like when I needed therapy, there came a point where I needed to take action and do something. You know how you sometimes can already forsee the consequences of where you're at mentally, right in that moment, and if you don't make a change in your life in that moment? Well it alarmed me enough to take action...
Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023
My lovely partner suggested a full moon event nearby, it was very New Age (something I became very allergic to as it turns out, for personal reasons I guess, even though I know they are just people trying to connect as well, I just always feel out of place in such circles even though I like some spiritual aspects...anyway...)
Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023
Near the end of the event, my neurospicy senses found two people in that crowd who turned out to be kinded spirits (and recognized that I wore a beanie with a slug on it :3). Everyone was already gone and we stayed there looking at the stars, talking about art and music and our struggles and enjoyed the silence together. It was amazing to feel this with two complete strangers.
Show threadArtofMaquendaJul 28, 2023
There is no ache in my chest anymore for a while now as I begin to meet more beautiful people I can connect with, and all these online dramas suddenly feel further away now and I truly treasure the close connections I still have online (ILU Ama <3). I'm slowly beginning to accept and understand my neurodiverse brain more, and realize I might not be too weird and undeserving of such connections... They are hard to find but not impossible.
Show threadAlex HaistJul 28, 2023
@Maquenda The Lion King was the movie I watched over and over, and Watership down was the book I read over and over. Funny how some pieces of art just seem to resonate with your soul. Loved your artwork for this and the story behind it.