What Is the Meaning Behind Empty?
Accountability and thinking—two things people hate.
It has always been easy to look externally and find reasons to explain what’s wrong. It has always been easy to reject thinking or only engage with the secondary emotion—anger—instead of processing your feelings to figure out the root cause of what’s wrong. Yet, these two actions are the keys to a fruitful life.
I was inspired to make this painting during a time when external validation meant a lot to me too. I would say it didn’t—because I’ve always been what others would consider weird—so I had no choice but to own it a little. But deep down, I was always craving the approval of other people.
After neglecting my gift for nearly a year, I came home from a spring break trip in NYC inspired to paint again. I was thrilled. I had so much energy, so many ideas ready to throw on a canvas, and I craved a community of artists like I once had in high school. So after working on a painting I had begun, I decided to visit the art department on my campus and speak with a professor.
I used to love art critiques, thinking they were beneficial, but this experience went nothing like I had hoped. She barely looked at my piece, dismissive and pretentious. Worst of all, she kept cutting me off every time I tried to explain my vision and insisted I enroll in a beginner’s drawing class. Then she told me to look around at the student work in the hallway, implying it was better than mine. I felt insulted and belittled—because the work she was pointing to was beginner-level still life. This was college, and the work she wanted me to be inspired by had no life. It was the same kind of art I had done years ago.
I left upset, so of course, I called my mom. And she said something that stuck with me:
"Stop looking for validation."
She was right. That’s exactly what I was doing. I didn’t need an outsider to tell me whether my painting was on the right track—I had years of experience, and my creativity far exceeded the people that professor was trying to compare me to. But I didn’t have the confidence in myself to trust my own vision.
I think as humans, we often lie to ourselves. We become boastful, eager to prove we’re individuals—that the only opinion that matters is our own. But the fact that we operate with so much pride while still seeking approval from others is proof that deep down, we know that isn’t true.
This modern generation is caught up in the need to prove itself to others because we are all so empty on the inside. In the age of social media, I often hear people reduce this to a gender issue. Women commodify themselves to appease the male gaze, mimicking one another because that’s what garners the most likes. But this isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s a people issue. Many men reject how they truly feel to align with a misguided idea of masculinity.
Conformity is a disease that has infected everyone. Individuality is the only cure.
I made this painting because I wanted to create a visual representation of that moment. And I know for a fact—it is a universal experience that manifests itself in countless ways.
When you take control of your narrative and commit to growing—not just on the surface, but from within—your life will change in ways you never imagined.
