An “About Me” page is the most challenging thing to write! The more I try to define myself, the more I feel boxed-in. The artistic part of me wants to leave this all blank, but the practical side thinks I should share a few concrete facts. What might already be apparent to you is that I am conflicted. That is actually the best word to describe me: conflicted. I have so many contradictions, I might as well list them:
- My birth sign is a Gemini, symbolized by twins and characterized as having a duplicitous nature, so it’s perfectly fitting to describe myself with contradictory facts. Also, I don’t believe in astrology :-).
- I was born in 1980 on a tiny tropical island (part of the Philippines). I come from a family of landowners who lived in the same place for generations. But most of my life has been spent in a near constant state of rootlessness and movement, living in places all over the world and immigrating to two countries (USA and Germany).
- I graduated college with honors and degrees in English Literature, Visual Arts, and a minor in Art History. But I’ve also been educated in the school of “hard knocks”. After graduating, I spent most of my time working in offices, some of my jobs were very boring and unglamorous. I was told by supervisors and colleagues that my college education “didn’t count at all, because the Arts are not real degrees”.
- My parents adamantly believed the best virtues were humility and silence, they strove to instill me with those values every day. “Still waters run deep,” my mother liked to say. Absolutely the best preparation for someone who has a blog, shows their artwork and writes novels!
Before you send me the number of a good therapist, there are indeed a few very important things that I am sure about: I have a wonderful family, it is my dream to be a writer and visual artist, and last but not least, I am totally okay with my contradictions! I no longer force myself to pick a side. I exist in the surprisingly airy space in-between and I know I am not alone there. Let’s explore that space together here!
Pauline Baecker 