“He says, ‘Ivan is a tomb’… I say, ‘Ivan is an enigma!’ - the Brothers Karamazov
I spend a lot of time geeking out on philosophy - here’s why. I believe in doing the work to make these minds of ours feel like home, a safe space, strong enough to deal with struggles, and compassionate enough to spread kindness. And I do think if everyone did that, the world would be a better place. Only in doing that are we able to make decisions in line with who we really are. That takes bravery at times. Bravery to question structures around us, situations and conditioning that means we have to suppress ourselves.
And something that’s been on my mind lately is that the little micro choices we make and the things we do when no one is watching is what makes up our actual self-esteem, NOT the decisions we make about our appearance.
Because when we care more about what things look like than how things feel - then we are denying our own freedom. We are saying, what matters is how I appear to the world, not who I authentically am. And that way of thinking means we can get little dopamine hits of validation, but we abandon ourselves - the mind becomes a place of comparison and decisions become focussed around being liked. And deep down, that affects a person’s self esteem negatively.
A digital world exists that is a little out of hand but now we choose to engage in that world, and how it affects our minds and thinking matters.
Capitalism drives people to think of themselves in terms of market value.
“You can do anything, the only person stopping you is you! If you increase your value you can manipulate the world around you into whatever you want.”
What then happens is that humans start to think of themselves as tiny corporations, as brands.
And we have a worldwide domino effect of things being normalised, and people falling into trends and noise with little thought, that ultimately impact their mental health very negatively.
And sometimes we all need reminding how free we really are.
What is dominating your thoughts?
What is driving your decisions?
Do you want freedom… or do you want ‘miracles, mystery and authority’?
🤍
‘Ivan’ - Original , one-of-a-kind Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions 940x1250 (0.94 x 1.25 metres)
Made in Sussex, UK, 2026
Framing included, get in touch for options.
SHIPPING: Please opt for Insured Shipping for this item since this is a one and only piece of art; get in touch if you have any questions.
“He says, ‘Ivan is a tomb’… I say, ‘Ivan is an enigma!’ - the Brothers Karamazov
I spend a lot of time geeking out on philosophy - here’s why. I believe in doing the work to make these minds of ours feel like home, a safe space, strong enough to deal with struggles, and compassionate enough to spread kindness. And I do think if everyone did that, the world would be a better place. Only in doing that are we able to make decisions in line with who we really are. That takes bravery at times. Bravery to question structures around us, situations and conditioning that means we have to suppress ourselves.
And something that’s been on my mind lately is that the little micro choices we make and the things we do when no one is watching is what makes up our actual self-esteem, NOT the decisions we make about our appearance.
Because when we care more about what things look like than how things feel - then we are denying our own freedom. We are saying, what matters is how I appear to the world, not who I authentically am. And that way of thinking means we can get little dopamine hits of validation, but we abandon ourselves - the mind becomes a place of comparison and decisions become focussed around being liked. And deep down, that affects a person’s self esteem negatively.
A digital world exists that is a little out of hand but now we choose to engage in that world, and how it affects our minds and thinking matters.
Capitalism drives people to think of themselves in terms of market value.
“You can do anything, the only person stopping you is you! If you increase your value you can manipulate the world around you into whatever you want.”
What then happens is that humans start to think of themselves as tiny corporations, as brands.
And we have a worldwide domino effect of things being normalised, and people falling into trends and noise with little thought, that ultimately impact their mental health very negatively.
And sometimes we all need reminding how free we really are.
What is dominating your thoughts?
What is driving your decisions?
Do you want freedom… or do you want ‘miracles, mystery and authority’?
🤍
‘Ivan’ - Original , one-of-a-kind Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions 940x1250 (0.94 x 1.25 metres)
Made in Sussex, UK, 2026
Framing included, get in touch for options.
SHIPPING: Please opt for Insured Shipping for this item since this is a one and only piece of art; get in touch if you have any questions.
