Our teacher gave us a meaningful challenge: to draw or paint something that represents a “new beginning.” At first, I had one idea in mind: a girl breaking free from chains, escaping life’s traps. But my vision expanded after a few minutes of thinking. I realized I didn’t want to just show the moment of breaking free. I wanted to show the contrast between the past and the future, the chaos and the peace. And so, I decided to split my artwork into two: the past on one side, and the new beginning on the other.
The Process
I started with the left side (the past). It was the most challenging part. I wanted to draw a calavera (skull figure) that symbolizes death, corruption, and destruction. At first, I struggled to get the skull's shape right. But after a few tries, I was finally satisfied.
This calavera is throwing a bomb toward a city filled with buildings, representing how some in power take advantage of society, ignoring taxes, spreading violence, and creating suffering. To emphasize the destruction, I added thick black smoke rising behind him. It’s a symbol of pain, greed, and everything dark that traps people in a toxic cycle.
And to represent the breaking point, I drew a girl stepping out from that world. She’s in between, holding a chain that’s starting to break. She’s not fully in the light yet, but she’s moving forward. Since I lacked enough black marker, I used a black ballpen to shade her and make her look like a shadow, showing that she’s still carrying part of the past as she walks toward something better.
Now the next part I draw is the other side: the fresh and new beginning. I wanted it to contrast completely with the chaos. For me, peace looks like a landscape: green fields, colorful trees, a small house, and a calm sky.
Since I am not able to bring my acrylic paint with me in school, I used colored pencils, even though I’m not really confident in blending with them. I also tried to mix the sky with a calligraphy pen, which was difficult, but I didn’t let that stop me. Even if the tools weren’t perfect, the message had to come through.
The house represents safety, the trees represent growth, and the bright colors represent hope and healing. Even if I had to borrow materials and face a few challenges, I kept reminding myself: just like the girl in my drawing, I have to keep moving forward. by the way, thanks to @miyasomi for lending me her coloring materials 😃.
While looking back at the process, I realized this drawing became personal to me. Each detail came from real thoughts and emotions I’ve carried. This artwork tells a story not just about the world, maybe even about others who have gone through something similar.
Sometimes in life, we find ourselves stuck in places that feel hopeless surrounded by destruction, pressure, fear, or even our own mistakes. That’s the side I tried to represent with the dark and chaotic half of my drawing. The calavera, the smoke, and the buildings are all symbols of a life lived in pain or under control, a life that needs change.
But there's always a choice. We don’t have to stay there. That’s why I drew the girl stepping out because she represents anyone who chooses to move forward, to break the chains that hold them back. And even if she still carries the shadow of the past, she’s headed toward something better.
The peaceful side may look simple, but to me, it’s everything. It shows what healing looks like. It shows what it feels like to breathe, to grow, and to finally rest in a place where you feel safe (in the future). It’s the kind of peace that takes time and courage to reach, but it's possible.
So for me, this is a reminder that no matter how dark our past may be, we always have the power to choose a new beginning. And just like in my drawing, all it takes is one brave step forward.
