It has been five months since my last post about my art series, Into the Wild, but I’ve continued to work on this project throughout my 100LD project – slowly, as it called to me. And now, it’s time to tell the story of The Teacher.

---

Check out more posts and videos sharing the stories behind the Into the Wild series here.

---

The Into the Wild Origin Story

My journey with Into the Wild began when I found a North African sheep skull just outside of my abandoned childhood home in July 2024. This was around the time when I was working with a coach who introduced me to parts work, a type of self-therapy that has been instrumental to my healing from burnout, childhood traumas, and stuck patterns my subconscious created as a result of years of dissonance regarding my sexuality and my Christian faith.

Parts work helped me see that my psyche is made up of different parts or personalities within me (not to be confused with multiple personality disorder, “parts” are a healthy way to describe our inner world and inner dialogue.) Learning to listen to and engage with these parts helped me make better sense of why I hold certain beliefs, express myself through certain behaviors, and sometimes experience internal conflicts about what I think, feel, or do.

And on this particular Summer day, I chose to visit my childhood home to see what might stir within me as I let my feet connect with the very ground where my life first began. That’s when – in the tall grass of what used to be my front yard – I discovered the skull of an Aoudad sheep.

I took the skull home and began to learn more about the animal. Aoudad sheep are known for their ability to thrive in harsh, arid conditions, and that was something powerfully symbolic of my upbringing. I heard a whisper in my soul to paint the skull – to experiment with painting without a plan.

When I finished the piece, I called it The Survivor and shared it on social media. Soon after, my dad texted me letting me know he had gotten two new skulls for me – a goat and a 9-point buck.

I painted the goat next, and I called this one The Explorer. The goat skull embodies the untamed part of me that refuses limits. The Pachamama spiral painted on the triangular forehead honors Mother Earth and indigenous wisdom. Bright arrows point upward representing a relentless pursuit to climb, ascend, and seek. An arrowhead and feathers – gifts from the same wild Texas landscape – anchor the piece in place and spirit. The Explorer is curious, reckless at times, and unafraid to cross boundaries. It represents the courage to take bold leaps into the unknown.

Liminal Lessons in Listening

When I began to envision the art for the next skull in the series, the deer seemed to reveal its message more slowly than the others. I sensed that it represented a part of me that was not yet fully formed, and that meant that I didn’t quite know where it would lead me.

I knew I wanted this piece to have a simpler color palette – to let the shapes and delicateness of this graceful animal’s remnants speak for itself. At times, I felt frustrated that I couldn’t understand what this one meant to me. Its symbolic message seemed to intentionally hide itself from me for several months. It was as if I could intuitively sense the presence of its soulful connection to me, but it told me I was not ready to see its meaning yet. It invited me to become very still and listen.

So I listened. I spent time with it. I learned to be still. I waited in faith, hope, and curiosity.

I was in a liminal space – a season of life where I was clearly no longer who I was but also not quite who I am becoming either. I felt lost. I grasped for clarity and stability. I defaulted to my skills as The Survivor –which ultimately became a repetitive, futile cycle of running mental circles around what I believed were problems.

And then, I made a conscious decision to surrender. To become water. To allow my ego to dissolve, and to accept that what remained in that fertile darkness would be the salvation I so desperately sought after.

My ego did not go down without a fight, but eventually the most profound sense of peace settled into my soul as I let go completely.

A New Archetype Emerges: The Teacher

Bold magenta and gold mark this deer skull as a guide through the wilderness of ego dissolution. The Teacher arrived quietly, asking me to release my grip on control and outcomes – to learn, not to lead. The antlers, wrapped intricately in leather with feathers suspended like prayers, represent wisdom earned through this surrender. Where The Explorer climbed fearlessly, The Teacher calmly listens. Where resilience once carried me, presence now guides.

Sharing My Art

I just submitted two of the three pieces into a local gallery’s open call for artists to exhibit in a month’s time. I chose to submit The Explorer and The Teacher since these are the archetypes that I believe have the most powerful messages for others.

I’m excited to see if my artwork will be accepted into the curated exhibit, but these pieces have already shared their soul with me. A part of me is embedded in them, and a part of them are embedded in me. Bone, stone, and feathers have been given blood, sweat, and tears once again.

With that, they live.

---

My 100 Liminal Days project has wrapped up, but the writing continues! Sign up for my email newsletter for weekly summaries of posts, weekly qigong practice videos, and updates on events online and in Austin.