I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in an exhibition in Indonesia, at Tspace in Bintaro, just outside Jakarta. The challenge was simple yet inspiring: to create and share an artwork in a pocket-sized 10 × 10 cm format. It was a beautiful reminder that even the smallest canvas can hold big ideas, meaningful stories, and emotions that reach far beyond its size.

For my submission, I chose a piece that holds a special place in my heart: Solo Party: Solace in Solitude, a quiet reflection on finding comfort, peace, and companionship within oneself.

Translating the original piece into a 10 × 10 cm format was quite a challenge. I wanted this smaller version to carry the same feeling as the original, which meant revisiting the emotions that inspired it in the first place. Along the way, I also found myself weaving in some of the feelings I have been carrying lately.

It wasn’t always easy, but somehow, that made the process feel even more honest and personal.

In a way, this little piece became a conversation between the person who created the original and the person I am today.

A little story about my art baby...

Solo Party: Solace in Solitude began with something I’ve known for most of my life: how to be alone.

Being an only child for most of my life meant becoming quite comfortable in my own company. Somewhere along the way, I learned that solitude doesn’t necessarily mean loneliness. Sometimes, being on your own can be a place to rest, to think, to breathe, and to come back to yourself.

I suppose that became one of the ways I learned to cope with life. Whenever things felt overwhelming, I would retreat for a little while—not to run away, but to recoup. To sit with my thoughts, listen to both my heart and my logic, and find my way back to myself. And somewhere in that process, I’ve always tried to choose kindness.

That doesn’t mean I’ve always got it right. I haven’t. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve had my shortcomings, and I’m still learning and growing every day. But somehow, despite all of that, I’ve carried this rather stubborn sense of positivity with me for as long as I can remember.

Perhaps a little too stubborn sometimes. Haha.

I know my instinct to find the brighter side of things can occasionally annoy, bug, or even frustrate people. I’d much rather believe it could be contagious, but I suppose that’s not quite how positivity works.

Still, the past few years—and especially this year—have made me realise that there is something else I need to learn: choosing myself.

Not because the people I love matter any less, but because I’ve finally understood that I matter too.

And perhaps that is what Solo Party: Solace in Solitude has ultimately become—a little celebration of choosing yourself, of learning to put yourself first, and of finding a safe place within your own company.

Because perhaps we cannot pour love, care, and happiness into the world when we have forgotten to offer some of it to ourselves first.

And maybe the people who carry the most love are not the ones who give every last bit of themselves away, but the ones who have learned how to keep enough love within themselves to carry others, too.