The Nature of Power

In a world saturated with noise, we often forget the fundamental force that shapes our reality: language. My mixed-media piece, The Nature of Power, is an exploration of this force—an inquiry into how words, and the intentions behind them, construct the world we inhabit. The artwork juxtaposes two distinct modes of change, as articulated in the embedded text: change done for us versus change done by us. One is a benevolent, top-down imposition; the other is a grassroots, power-building act of self-determination. This distinction is not merely semantic. It is the difference between being a passive recipient and an active creator of one’s own destiny. The golden, almost illegible script represents the often-obscured systems of power and influence, while the clear, questioning text invites the viewer to seek clarity and agency. Visually, the piece blends the organic with the symbolic. The fierce, focused gaze of the wolf embodies instinct and community, while the serene koi fish represents adaptation and the flow of progress. These natural elements are interwoven with abstract patterns and textures, suggesting that the dynamics of power are as complex and intricate as nature itself. The transition from the structured, golden upper half to the fluid, green lower half mirrors the shift from imposed order to emergent, collective action. The Nature of Power serves as a visual meditation on agency. It asks us to consider the language we use, the narratives we accept, and the power we hold—often without requiring permission—to enact genuine, meaningful change for ourselves and our communities. It is a call to become conscious architects of our world, one word and one action at a time.