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RESILIENCE
The Way You Speak To
Yourself Matters
by Liz Reichner
The way you speak to yourself dictates how you live and love your life. Speak to yourself as if you were speaking to your younger self. Be encouraging, compassionate, and loving, because that’s what you deserve.
A Message To My Future Self
by Blaze Bautista
In this video, I use an old “vlog” I recorded on April 22nd, 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a year later, I reflect on my sentiments during that time while layering recorded moments from my quarantine and the pre-COVID past. My past self speaks with uncertainty and fear about the future, but the video serves to remind myself of my resilience during a difficult time. The video is a reminder that although the future may be scary, especially when disrupted by the pandemic, I am strong enough to handle anything. It also serves as a reminder for me to enjoy life’s moments and to cherish the things I take for granted.
i.
momentarily
Icarus kisses the clouds—
as i bask in the
unholy union, the Sun
cradles me in his soft rays
​
ii.
an empty coke can
aimlessly drifting in the
murky-tinged water
crying man’s indifference
and nature’s silent judgment.
​
iii.
the deafening wind,
enveloping me in her
cruel, chilling embrace,
reminds me of my mother’s
unrelenting persistence.
​
iv.
ivory feathers
gracefully adorn your skin,
ominous beauty
with the omnipotent eyes,
tell me your secrets…
​
v.
faded by sunlight,
weathered by incessant time,
leaves wither (decay)
like the childhood memories
i can no longer recall.
​
vi.
iridescent orbs
popping gently on noses
of innocent youths—
a part of me envies their
naiveté to the world.
Untitled
by Megan Fu
For the majority of quarantine, the lack of contact with the outside world made me feel trapped and isolated. I wrote this collection of Tanka poems based on a recent walk in the park. Just from a short 15-minutes of being outside, I felt so inspired and reconnected. My art has made me resilient.
Forget-Me-Not
by Tara Desai
A digital drawing of forget-me-not flowers. Forget-me-nots are perennials, meaning they don’t have to be replanted, they regrow themselves year after year. They are resilient in this way, and remind us that even after weathering the winter (or a year-long pandemic) we’ll keep coming back.
Untitled
by Mona Moshfegh
This is a piece I made based off a shot taken from the anime Attack on Titan (season 2 episode 11). The character shown, Erwin Smith, is the commander of the Survey Corps – a branch of the military involved with Titan combat and outside exploration. He always faced problems head on, was adaptable to sudden change, and was ready to proceed in the most tactful way he can think of whoever the enemy appeared to be. This piece encompasses the resilience of Erwin because while he is getting his arm bit off by a giant monster Titan, he does not step out of character – rather he commands his troops to keep pushing forward. While painting this I thought of the many things and people that Erwin sacrificed in order to get one step closer to his goal, and I am constantly amazed of how he was still able to stand straight after it all.
Untitled
by Madelene Soo
This is a little acrylic painting I did on canvas back in September of last year. This little fox’s name is ke (pronounced k) and he is a character that represents one of my favorite members from the Korean band day6. The song he wrote, “Where the sea sleeps”, is about sticking together with our loved ones through storms and life’s unexpected challenges. Even though the things we face are scary, we have each other and we get through things together, hand in hand. This was especially sentimental to day6 and us fans as two of day6’s members had to take time off from promoting to take care of their mental health.
The song came at such a fitting time as I felt a little discouraged having been forced into SIP because of the pandemic, so I felt a lot of hope and was so happy that I could have a song to listen to during these rough times.
When Everything Falls Apart
by Kinjal Vyas
My piece is an improvisational tap number to the song When Everything Falls Apart (from Frozen Broadway). In the past year, my whole life has felt turned around and my plans have felt like they’ve fallen apart. To represent that in this piece, I chose to do something improvisation rather than something I’d planned out every detail of. In a way, I’ve felt that doing this has allowed me to demonstrate the way I am now able to embrace and respond to the constant changes in the world that I wasn’t able to before. As for song choice, the song is upbeat and fun on the surface, but the lyrics are all about what happens when your life isn’t going the way you want it to and you don’t know what to do. The song demonstrates the power of finding something positive in a very negative world and using that positive thing to stay grounded and in the present. I’ve adopted a similar philosophy in my own life and it’s helped keep me resilient throughout the past year.
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