2021 brought a lot of anxiety to say the least. A friend told me about 4-7-8 breathing, where you breath in for four seconds, hold it for seven, and breath out for eight seconds. I found it really calmed me down and brought me out of whatever worry spiral I was in, and back to a place where I could think clearly.
I created a mantra for this project that, to me, is the mental equivalent of 4-7-8 breathing. It’s a way of checking perspective and making sure to focus on what’s important in life. To get out of my head and reach out to those I love. I also found that in the 26 plus hours I was hand stippling the image, quiet alone time focusing on a singular goal brought me a similar type of calm and introspection.
I had it printed on a blanket for the beach, which is my environmental equivalent of the breathing technique.
