GAIA ART HUB BLOG

Chronological Order

1. Gaia Art Hub Creative Notes: The Untamed Line December 15, 2025

2. Artifacts of Survival: The Primal Need to Express January 4, 2026

Gaia Art Hub Creative Notes: The Untamed Line

🎨 The Denial

My artistic journey has never been a straight line; it's more like a seismograph charting internal earthquakes. When I moved to Canada 17 years ago, my creative side was the first thing I packed away. My life here was immediately defined by the necessity of survival, and the priority became fitting in—the desire to be "like everyone" else, mastering the norms of a new culture. In that pursuit, I effectively denied the creative part of me.

The Explosions in the Quiet

Yet, the creative spirit is not easily killed. Even in deep denial, that suppressed energy had many moments of explosive breakthrough. It was during these accidental moments that a few truly awkward-looking things were created.

The most potent survivor of that period is the one you see here. I carried it with me for nearly a decade. It’s an honest, funny, and deeply troubled expression of the emotions I couldn't otherwise process. It’s set against a fiery wash of yellows and oranges—a volatile background that perfectly reflects the internal state I was denying. The text is sharp and almost screaming: "Your moustacheee creeps me out! Creeeeps meeeee out!"

The construction is primal: the focal point is a lock of my own hair, coiled and dark against the heat of the paper. This one is a perfect example of how the creative self, when starved, will use the most available, primitive forms—hair, paper, and the frantic line—to declare its existence. In its strange mix of grief and anger, it is the blueprint for the untamed line I am now ready to explore.

A Life Lived as Art: The Echo of Cengiz Çekil

The philosophical anchor for this journey remains the teachings of my dear art professor, Cengiz Çekil. His sudden passing on November 10th remains one of those days I dedicate to grief and profound memory. I often find myself revisiting every word he spoke during my studies.

Professor Çekil had a captivating way of expressing his thoughts, but the most enduring lesson was his belief in living life as an art form.

While I acknowledge that my own life hasn't yet come close to the fluid, artistic ideal he expressed, the aspiration is what drives me. My artistic attraction has always been, and remains, rooted in the primitive form—the purest, most essential, and honest state of action, being, or material. I am drawn to the unpolished, the untamed, the purest forms of all forms, if that makes sense.

🗓️ Honoring the Timeline and The Sacred Vow

To formalize this shift—from denial to intentional creation—I am committed to giving this practice a fixed place in my life. Next year, I will begin a ritual by creating a personal calendar.

This calendar will not just mark typical holidays, but will formally designate days of profound significance, ensuring that my journey and its influences are never forgotten. One of these days will always be November 10th, honoring Professor Çekil. It is a day of grief, but also a day to renew the vow to "live life as an art form."

Alongside this, I will formally designate a day each month as our Day of Unspoken Truths. This is a necessary, regular commitment to Primitive Expression, transforming the act of survival into a purposeful, artistic action.

📥 The Primitive Expression Archive

Inspired by the profound simplicity of my early work—using something as intimate and discarded as my own hair—the Day of Unspoken Truths is a call to engage with materials that carry our essence or capture a powerful emotion: hair, nail clippings, stones, roots, or even a bone a pet has chewed on.

I will be creating a new page called "The Primitive Expression Archive."This is where I invite you—my readers—to share your own potent, non-aesthetic truths. The archive will be a non-judgemental gallery, proving that true, authentic art is not about aesthetics; it is about truth. By sharing these creations, we move from private suppression to collective sovereignty.

This hub is dedicated to exploring the concept of The Untamed Line—art created out of pure necessity, before aesthetics get involved. We're not just discussing it here; we're building something collective. I invite you to share your own raw truths and spontaneous creations by sending me email to nilaycarlson@gaiaarthub.com. I will then start working on the new Primitive Expression Archive page, where we prove that the purest art is simply the truth of the moment.

The Vow of the Untamed Line

This post is a declaration that the era of denying the expressive self is over. The awkward, small artifacts I carried are no longer burdens; they are evidence of my survival and the blueprints for my future.

Gaia Art Hub is a space dedicated to this messy, untamed, and honest creative process. It is where we honor the silent language of the body and the raw materials that hold our history. I invite you to follow along with my calendar rituals and—more importantly—to contribute your own potent, non-aesthetic truths to the Primitive Expression Archive.

Let's commit to living a life where the purest forms of all forms are not just seen, but celebrated.

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Artifacts of Survival: The Primal Need to Express

Beyond Words: The Transformation of Thought

Expression is not a choice; it is a necessity. If writing isn’t your medium, you must find another. Talking is a start, but the real magic begins when a thought transforms into a physical image or a movement.

For me, the "play" starts when an image evolves from a direct representation—like a face crying to show sadness—into a symbol. The more an idea transforms, the deeper the mind has to go to find its meaning. This is where the material begins to take you to worlds you never imagined.

The Soul of the Material

I collect materials both consciously and unconsciously, looking for the weight of their meaning. Take a bone, for example. Many see death, but I see a grounding force—earth before it became earth. It is strong enough to survive for thousands of years; it is our ancestors, our grief, our wars, and our survival.

Consider a simple rope: a tool used for millennia to tie things together, build, and overcome obstacles. Or a feather: light enough to be weightless yet strong enough to carry a life thousands of miles. I have always been drawn to the sculptures of African and First Nations tribes; they carry a power that gives me goosebumps. When you combine these—a bone, a rope, a feather—you create something primal and honest that connects our modern hands to the ancient spirits of those who came before us. You aren't just making a decoration; you are building a talisman of survival that feels older than time itself. You are creating a physical echo of life, death, and the strength it takes to keep moving forward.

In the photo another sculpture I am moved by: a Kongo Power Figure. They are the ultimate example of a 'Talisman of Survival.' They aren't finished the day the artist stops carving; they are finished by the life that happens around them.

Each piece of metal—each nail and jagged blade—is a physical record of a dispute settled, a vow taken, or a challenge overcome. It is a collaborative sculpture between the artist, the spirit, and the community. It reminds us that our own lives are a 'Power Figure'—we are shaped and strengthened by every 'nail' the world drives into us, turning our scars into symbols of our power.

The Mandate of Uniqueness

You didn’t come to this life to be like everyone else. You came to express your unique self, regardless of whether people accept you or not. In fact, if they don’t accept you, you have even more reason to express yourself more freely.

Your job is to find a way to let your true self out. No matter your circumstances, no matter your limitations—find your medium and claim your voice.

Create With What You Have

Creation does not require a massive budget or a professional studio. It only requires a commitment to yourself. You can create with broken kitchen tools, a stone found on a path, or a piece of string. The world is your inventory.

In our modern era, we also have digital tools that are mind-blowingly awesome. They allow us to render reality in ways our ancestors couldn't dream of. But the tool is secondary to the will.

• If your vision is blocked: Use your voice.

• If you cannot use your legs: Use your arms.

• If none of that is possible: Use your mind.

Image: Power figure (Nkisi N'Kondi), Kongo artist. Courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Public Domain).

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