Isabella Thomas-Hunter
ink on paper
50cm x 65cm
Title Dive
Where the Wild Things Are offers a deep insight into the various characters and their inner worlds.
“Herman Melville said that artists have to take a dive, and either you hit your head on a rock and it splits your skull and you die, or that blow to your head is so inspiring that you come back up and you do the best work you ever did. But—you have to take the dive. And you do not know what the result will be.” – Maurice Sendak.
This idea resonated with me deeply. It shifted my perspective, encouraging me to acknowledge and even work with my anxieties about producing and displaying art, rather than allowing them to silence me. My anxiety often urges me to stay on the edge, to hesitate until I feel certain. But the quote reminded me that certainty never comes before the leap—it comes through it. The risk of imperfection, even failure, is what allows the possibility of growth. This work is an acceptance of that creative risk and trust in the process itself.
This is not just an artwork but also evidence of the dive I chose to take.
“ Through practice, I’ve learned that the value lies not in waiting for perfection but in working through ideas, no matter how simple they may seem at first. By committing to a basic concept and pushing it further, I’ve discovered how experimentation and repetition can reveal depth. Staying within the same medium has also given me space to notice subtleties and develop a stronger voice in my work.”