The Impassable Borders of My World
Art starts somewhere, right? For me, mountains set the stage. While my transformative artistic journey started in the summer of 2020, the love of art and nature seemed to have always been there. Growing up in Lika, Croatia, my childhood revolved around towering presence of mountains.
Mountains of My Childhood
Mountains inspired me to create series of paintings “Journey to the Top”. Lika is a remarkable piece of land defined by the savage beauty of the nature and best known for two things – the birthplace of the visionary Nikola Tesla in Smiljan and the breathtaking Plitvice Lakes, one of the most beautiful nature’s parks. Growing up at the foot of Velebit, the biggest of the five mountains of Lika and highest mountain in Croatia, I often used to gaze skyward, captivated by its heights. Among its majestic peaks, one held a special place in my heart – Visočica. Right beneath this peak, shadows and snow that remained until late summer, would form a silhouette resembling a delicate ballerina’s dress. As kids, we would constantly scan the horizon, seeking glimpses of this ethereal figure.
These mountains marked the impassable borders of my world. I vividly recall the day I set out on a daring adventure as a young boy, determined to conquer Visočica, standing proudly at 1615 meters. I remember this unbelievable feeling as I stood atop the summit and gazed towards my hometown of Gospić. Then, full of anticipation, I turned my eyes in the opposite direction, scanning the horizon above Adriatic See in search of Italy.
In Search of the New Horizons
Leaving behind the weight of stress and the clamor of construction sites, to dive into this new, artistic chapter of life, in a way reminds me of climbing Visočica. Like that exhilarating ascent, this new chapter fills me with a refreshing sense of beginner’s bliss. Once again, I am gazing at the horizon with much anticipation, looking forward to the adventure.
The enduring desire for adventure that propelled me to conquer Visočica has remained a constant in my life. It has been the driving force behind my pursuits, leading me to establish a construction business in Dubai and later venture into the restaurant industry. Throughout it all, my passion for art never faded. The same spirit of adventure guided me to embark on this transformative artistic project, reshaping my sense of purpose and bringing me a renewed sense of fulfillment.
Moving Forward: The Bittersweet Realization
Time has marched on since that memorable ascent, and with each passing day, my perception of life has been shaped by a myriad of experiences. As I returned to my hometown after many years, a bittersweet realization washed over me, unveiling just how profoundly my perspective had transformed. The mountains that loomed large in my memory seemed diminished in comparison to the grandeur I had since witnessed. Their stature had been humbled by the vastness of the world that I have traveled far and wide, encountering towering giants – from the mountains of Thailand, Ethiopia, Morocco… to the skyscrapers of Dubai. The mountains that once defined impassable borders of my world were now but small fragments in the collage of sceneries and experiences that made my life.
As I stood before these diminished yet familiar slopes, I realized one thing. Every mountain and its every unconquered peak, metaphorical or literal, are diminished with every new horizon that we encounter and every new experience in life. The mountains of my youth had nurtured my sense of adventure, fueling a desire to seek new summits to conquer.
While the mountains of my childhood may no longer hold the same dominance in my view, they remain a testament to the transformative power of exploration. They taught me to embrace the ever-changing nature of life, to adapt and grow with each new challenge that presents itself. I have conquered many “mountains” in my life and more wait to be conquered – the “mountains” that carry the weight of my dreams and aspirations. With each step, I am reminded that the true measure of a mountain is not its size, but the unyielding spirit it ignites within those who dare to ascend its slopes.
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