"Finding My Marbles": A Conceptual Exploration of Reclaiming What’s Lost

Finding My Marbles plays on the well-known phrase losing my marbles, but instead of fixating on loss and confusion, this work shifts the focus toward the reclamation of sanity, stability, and self. It explores what it means to recover pieces of ourselves that once felt broken, lost, or scattered, finding clarity amidst the chaos. Here, the marbles symbolize fragments of memory, emotions, and identity—not gone, but rather hidden, waiting to be found. The act of finding them represents a journey inward—a conscious effort to gather the parts of ourselves that have been displaced and reshape them into a cohesive narrative. It’s an invitation to confront our disarray, reconnect with what matters, and rediscover our sense of wholeness.

Art as Liberation from Cycles of Retraumatization

Art holds a profound power to free us from the cycles of retraumatization that we can unknowingly fall into. Often, these cycles involve reliving pain, dwelling on past wounds, and feeling overwhelmed by their weight. But through art, we are given a unique space—a place where we can confront that pain, transform it, and transcend it. Instead of being caught in a loop of replaying and recycling trauma, art offers the possibility of extracting meaning from it.

It’s through creative expression that we find the capacity to distill wisdom, strength, and insight from our most challenging experiences. What once seemed unbearable can be turned into a tool for creation. Emotions that felt too heavy to carry can be reshaped into something meaningful and beautiful, repurposed as a source of catharsis and connection.

This process is an act of transmutation. It’s about taking the very things that once hurt us—fear, loss, regret, anger—and transforming them into something that heals, not just ourselves but others who witness or experience the art. Through this alchemy, we can recycle the heavy remnants of pain, keeping only what serves our growth and understanding. In doing so, we pull the essential truths from our suffering and let the rest fall away, allowing us to move forward with a sense of renewal and purpose.