I WONDER: THE JOURNEY OF THE WISE TORTOISE AND THE CURIOUS OTTER

‘I Wonder’ is an illustrated and written exploration of self-reflections examining how we perceive ourselves and our surroundings. It’s intended as a tool to improve one’s state of mind. Through the journey of two anthropomorphised characters, the Wise Tortoise and the Curious Otter, the Otter discovers the importance of slowing down, letting go, reflecting, and viewing the world from a different perspective through the insightful words of the long-lived Tortoise.

HONOURS PROJECT - 2023 - I WONDER THE JOURNEY OF THE WISE TORTOISE AND THE CURIOUS OTTER

From the beginning of this project, I realised what I was trying to do was improve my state of mind so in turn, I could provide a moment of calmness for others. As a self-exploration, I had to decide where in the world and what things brought a sense of peace and tranquillity into my life so I could depict and use these ideas throughout the illustrations to enhance those ideas further and create this melancholy atmosphere within the work.

I wonder…

Why do we hold ourselves to our mistakes, to misdeeds that seem to shape this prison we cannot escape? Yet we’re stuck in this single-minded way of thinking. Remove your judgment, your perceived opinions, otherwise you’ll become their minions.

This book is for you, at a point in which you’ve lost your footing and you can’t see anything anymore even though you’re continuously looking.

When you long for a place which has no trace, no face or occupancy in space but you wait for it just in case to not feel so misplaced.

For this is but a reminder to stop and reflect, to let go and move on, to forgive and forget, to stop living in a single frame of mind, in a past that is not present, to think optimistically or philosophically if you like.

'I Wonder' at Exposure Exhibiton 2023 at Toi Rauwhārangi, Wellington.

“Sometimes we just need to be a never-ending body of still water. Calm and peaceful, quiet, and observant, protected from outside disruption, otherwise the water’s ripples may grow into a swirl that becomes a stormy sea.”

“Life is like a mountain top, frosty and uninhabitable at times, flourishing with flowers the next. Life is ever-changing, just like the seasons come and go.”

forget not…