The Power of Positivity
Artist statement:
Throughout the background of the mural there is a prism pattern, in this prism pattern some of the triangles are flat color and some are intuitive abstract paintings done by the students. On the left side is Deondra, a student from Congreso who volunteers throughout the year. She is releasing a firefly/glow orb represented by a mandala. There are other firefly/mandalas flying on the background. On the handball court areas, there are contour drawings of the neighborhood and lenticular designs created by the students. Lenticular design is 3D technology that produces images with an illusion of depth or the ability to change or move as images are viewed from different angles.
The theme of this mural is self-esteem. Although other people’s behavior can affect our self-esteem, we are often our own worst critics and are all guilty of thinking negative thoughts about ourselves. When this becomes a pattern, we start to believe in the negativity, lose confidence, and feel defeated. To change this, we must make an active effort to replace our pessimistic thoughts by saturating the brain with optimism. It is important because if we want to get along with others, we have to feel good about ourselves.
Through reflection activities, program students learned about different ways to build self-esteem and accentuate the positive by working on activities towards becoming better and more effective human beings. They took a realistic look at their strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes by completing a personal inventory. This helped them know what goals are realistic to pursue, what aspects of their personality and lifestyle they seek to improve and how to identify their weaknesses without worrying about how others perceive them. Self-knowledge helps lay the foundation for high self-esteem.
Students created daily “Positivity Jars” where they added a positive note every time something good happened. They also made “Self-Collage Posters” using pictures, words, and symbols clipped from magazines that represented their personal strengths. Through “Abstract Painting” they learned about how every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful. Students also created “Gratitude Mandalas” celebrating our oneness, in gratitude to the Earth, nature, and all forms of life.
The symbols included in the mural and their meanings include:
PRISMS
• A prism has the power to alter the path of incoming light.
• Prism: that which takes the unseen light, and converts it into visible rays of the spectrum. Each rainbow is individual to the viewer. Each viewer sees their own.
• Prisms redirect light in new directions and casts rainbows. Prisms have symbolic meaning, they absorb and release energy. Therefore they are used to cleanse negative energy and attract positive energy.
• A Prism can also act as a mirror. This concave mirror reflects light in a reversed manner, which is why the colors of the primary Rainbow are “upside down.” Looking at things through a prism to view in a different way.
MANDALAS
• There are many uses for a mandala. The design of the mandala is supposed to be visually appealing so as to absorb the mind in such a way that irritating thoughts are unable to get through and a spiritual essence surrounds the individual observing the mandala, which in turn allows the individual a higher consciousness or awareness. This allows the busy mind to take a break while the creative mind is allowed to run free. Students created a text-based mandala and then an intuitive mandala of gratitude. As students draw symbols of love, gratitude, peace, and harmony, the power of those symbols heal and revitalize us. When the mandala is completed, it continuously radiates this healing energy to humanity and the world of nature.
FIREFLY
• The symbolic meaning of the firefly deals with light and illumination. Although an important focus, the issue of light is not the high feature behind the symbolic meaning of the firefly. Rather it is the messages this wondrous creature gives us while her light is off may be most profound to our growth.
• An ordinary looking creature during the day, the firefly is remarkable when it glows at night. This is a symbolic message to humans that although our physical appearance may seem one way –it is our internal makings—what is inside us (such as our spirit) that makes us shine from the inside out
• It is interesting to note that the firefly does not produce heat in order to create her light. This is a message that we must not burn our candles at both ends. Creativity and development is supposed to be a free, natural, and easy-going process—there is no need for us to “burn-out” in order to reach our goals.
• In addition to using no heat to produce her light, the fact that fireflies eat very little is another symbolic meaning of economy or efficiency. Adult fireflies use their environment to the most effective extent possible in order to gain their energy. This is a lesson for us to use the resources we have and not waste or consume excess.
