Closing thoughts

It feels like this project has been the first time I've been able to fully express my vision through the process of art-making. Thanks to my active documentation and reflection, I feel Omphalos has gained so much more meaning and momentum. It has started to live its own life, its even gotten, quite literally, under my skin in the form of a mandala tattoo.

The process has made me more humble, hardworking and better with time management. The tedious work that consisted of gathering, folding, cutting and gluing together the pieces of toilet paper rolls taught me to work consistently. Actually integrating the process to my everyday life seemed to have come to me quite naturally, and the progress was steady and on schedule.

I feel anyone could benefit from working on a project that spans over a longer period of time. As an educator it feels only fitting for me to carry on the benefits gained from project with similar nature. In fact, as I've simultaneously worked on other courses, in my practical training I befriended an art educator, who has created larger art projects from the basic art curriculums. The projects consisted of all the different techniques, themes and materials listed on the curriculum, but all of it was merged into parts of larger projects. As with the current distance learning system (because of Covid-19), it seemed very natural for the students to receive the tasks for the whole course all at once. There was only one deadline, and all the parts of the project could be worked on during class. I think in the future I will draw some inspiration from their teaching methods.

The theme resonated with me quite well. In the beginning it took me a while to grasp the concept of revitalization, but as I started to understand the term better through my own research, it was pretty clear to me what I wanted to revitalize; Bringing a less commercial meaning to the eastern tradition of mindfulness has been in the works for me for at least five years now. In that sense it was nice to find a good medium for my developing life purpose. As my installation has probably already somewhat impacted people visiting the exhibition, I almost feel it is my capabilities to make a difference, that have been revitalized. And as the Omphalos doesn't only entail the finished installation but the whole process of it's creation, so is important the conversations and insights experienced throughout the journey towards a more fulfilling life.

“If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh