The Flame of Passion

by Charlene Mae Canlas

Rotaract Club of RCDM Scholars

Art is something more powerful than we could ever imagine. Just a simple sketch, a single stroke of a brush, a splatter of color on a plain white canvas, can tell you hundreds or even thousands of stories.

I, myself, am an artist. I don’t consider myself a professional one because I am still searching for my art style but I have created hundreds of masterpieces since when I started painting at the age of 16. At first, I did not expect that I will become someone who I wanted to be when I was still starting, and since then, art has changed everything about me. Art became the source of my strength and I have found serenity in it. I can say that I became a better woman because of honing my talents particularly in the field of visual arts. On the other hand, there are times that I doubted my talent in painting because I was creating something different from what the people expect from my art but I realized that I make art, not for everyone else’s recognition. I create not to impress but to express what I feel inside.

I love making surreal and ocean-themed paintings because it gives me an incredible kind of feeling that I really can’t explain through words. Whenever I look at my ocean art pieces, I can feel the sense of tranquility in my soul and it is something that I want to attain till I grow old. Whenever I feel burned out from school work and other responsibilities, I just grab my brush and paint. It is precisely therapeutic to me to the fact that I feel good after I create or finish an artwork. I feel confident and productive all over again.

Art keeps me sane, it improves my overall mental health but just like any other artist, I have seasons of art block. It is where artists feel uninspired or unmotivated to create something. It’s one of the hardest phases of my life because whenever I am art blocked, it affects the overall mood that makes me anxious. It takes weeks or even months to get out of being art blocked but the moment you walk out from that season, you will feel the flame of passion in your nerves. You will have this kind of energy to create more.

Art is powerful in the sense that it can bring you and your audience a sense of serenity and at the same time you can also bring stories and information. Art can change a person’s perception, both in a good or bad way. That's why I always believe that as an artist, I have this kind of power to inspire, inform, and educate people through my art. Even though some people could not appreciate art pieces, I will always drive myself to create because I feel passionate about my art, I feel passionate about inspiring and educating people through my masterpieces. That's why I always encourage and support young artists because I know that they will have a huge contribution in shaping our society.