The universe makes me feel insignificant, but also like I’m part of something bigger than myself. I cannot possibly know the entire scope of the cosmos, or their inner workings, even though it is compelling to try.

 

I think Alison did a really good job curating the Space Sirens playlist. She captured, in my mind, the way I feel when I stargaze and my eyes travel along the milky way. The way my head spins reading about different galaxies light years away. The way my chest gets a little tighter while I try to comprehend the space I occupy among all these celestial bodies.

 

In my painting, I tried to design a landscape that could be on Earth or part of a yet undiscovered planet. You can see the galaxy edge spanning across the sky, inspired from when I was in Brazil drifting through a midnight black river. All of the stars fill the sky, pinpricks of light that represent the millions of miles surrounding this planet. On top of the left mountainscape, a lone person stands in the dark. It’s a planet of their own, but looking at the night sky they can see themselves connected through the depths of space to other people, other planets, hoping, possibly even knowing, that they aren’t alone.