prismacolor pencils, white gel pen; 9×7”
“’An Introvert’s Acceptance’ is a representation of the moment introverts accept their identity. When starting this piece, I wanted to show that there’s a community of introverts, like myself, that need to accept who they are to be welcomed into the cruel society that places a golden standard above everybody’s head. There are uglier sides to introversion that need to be accepted by oneself before they’re accepted in society. Like many other introverts, they tend to beat themselves up over feeling the need to distance themselves; for their sanity. Represented with a layman, caressing the introvert’s face, it’s meant to bring comfort to them for being this way. The blue on the left then cutting to fleshier tones on the right is a visual representation of exiting a world of self-depreciation, masked as collectiveness into a world. It’s a transition from “this is who I want to be” to “this is who I am”. An Introvert’s Acceptance brings awareness to their mental health’s ugly aspect of introversion and normalizes the long amount of time it takes for them to deal with it. “
ARTIST BIO: Flynn Koehler is a Grade 12 student at Oak Hills High School (OHHS).