With the Patreon poll wrapped up, I can now officially say the next Passages image I’ll be working on is…

“Differences!”

I’m particularly excited to get started on this one because, like the most recent thistle-inspired scene and “The Heart Will Break,” this is an idea that has been ruminating in my head for quite a while (over five years, to be exact).

But enough introducing…let’s get down to the real meat of this blog post: what the idea is, where it came from, and how I hope to bring it to life!

 

 

The story I want “Differences” to tell is that there are always different ways of looking at beliefs and issues, different ways of solving problems, and just different ways in general of doing things. And that doesn’t mean any of those ways are wrong. Take religion, for example. Or politics (yes, I said it). Or even the food we eat! There are SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS of worshipping, of believing, of participating, of doing, and even of eating! And none of them are wrong.

 

 

When I moved to Boston, this idea hit home really hard. Being from the South and a traditionally Christian family, I’m sure you can guess what my political leanings are. I’d like to think I was raised to be understanding of all political opinions (which I think I particularly owe to my parents and living in foreign countries), but it was different in Boston because for the first time, those who had different opinions weren’t just other classmates or friends. They were my neighbors and the people I worked with. People who actually WANTED to talk about our differences, rather than focusing on the similarities we shared.

And I’m not saying that was a BAD thing. I think it was actually a really good thing to be able to talk in depth about our differences in addition to enjoying our similarities. But what I realized as I practiced my right to vote while living in Boston and being there during an election year was this:

We all want the same thing.

We all want a better country. We all want a safe place for our kids to grow up. We all want our economy to do well. We all love our children. But we’re all looking at all of these topics and beliefs through different lenses.

 

 

It might be unavoidable with this topic, but I don’t want to get too into the political intricacies that could make their appearance in this photo. I do want to drive home the point that we’re all HUMAN. I sincerely believe that the vast majority of people genuinely want to be happy and help others find that happiness, and that’s what I want to focus on in this next Passages scene.

The symbolism will involve flowers, two distinct color palettes, and (of course) some sort of costume piece that involves lenses for the eyes. Because in every iteration of my brainstorming for this piece over the years, it has always included colored lenses, and I don’t plan on changing that.

 

 

Anyway, I won’t get TOO far into the symbolic elements of this piece, mostly because I haven’t brainstormed too deeply for how I want this iteration of “Differences” to shape up. But I WILL get into the details on an upcoming patron-only stream over on Patreon. If you want to be notified when I’ll be doing that brainstorming stream, make sure you’re signed up as my patron at the link below! I have tiers as low as $1/month, because I know money can be tight sometimes!

Join me on Patreon here!

 

 

I hope to see you on the stream!