“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.”
― Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis
It is incredibly true of transformation that it requires living through it to understand it. Only when we turn around and look back at our past can we see the whole picture. To be human is to crave knowledge and explanation, or at least a feeling of fullness. So, then, how painful metamorphosis becomes when we simultaneously seek to understand and are hidden from the truth of who we are becoming.
"...people did not understand his words any more, although they seemed clear enough to him, clearer than previously, perhaps because had gotten used to them”
― Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis
In "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa gets turned into a giant insect. Through that transformation he realizes that his detachment from the world was his detachment from himself. He finally recognizes his own internal language. No one else can understand him, but he becomes attuned to his own sound.
His transformation is the same as ours. Peace comes from being attuned to your [insert word/phrase here]: resonance, beat of your drum, philosophies, essence, soul...It is a kind of alchemy that fortifies your identity.
Stitch yourself with wings
if your only chance at flight
demands renewal.
"The Metamorphosis" self-portrait June 2021
Both this image and "Studying with Kafka" are available as limited edition prints. They are some of my favorites I have ever made and I'll be hanging them in my home side by side. Please inquire with my galleries to collect one or both. They are printed square format with the black border:
www.brookeshaden.com/prints 