A manifesto for the unapologetic self Work in progress and so am I. (Nederlands scroll naar beneden) I have now reached my 10th painting and what a journey it has been so far. Through creating this project, I have come to realize that it is deeply rooted within me as well. Each painting, together with its accompanying poem, reveals something to me. I noticed this already while creating the very first piece and even dedicated several blog posts to some of the painted collages

Poetry by Esther Claus The snail, 1/12 collage paintings from the project: What Lives On, Written By Those Who Love You. I refuse to sit in stories that broke me to hold up pain like it still owns me. 
I will not place the past before my feet,
 those old ghosts of shame, anger and defeat. I refuse to be a prisoner
 of someone else’s harm. I refuse to let my story
 be shaped by their sin. 
I am not what happened to me. I am what I chose to become. But the body remembers
 what