Salty Heavens

I spent my childhood on the coast.

This illustration depicts the ocean. Starting from the top left. There’s the pier, tangled in algae. The sand, moving with the tides, with little pieces of organic material and minerals. The wave, creeping up on the left. It brings in more algae on the right. The recede of the wave, leaving a glossy coat down below.

I always think about this thing my ceramic professor said. She said if you’re having a bad day, just walk into the ocean and stand there. Let the waves hit you and don’t think about anything. Let it heal you. She said the water from the ocean had certain ions, in the salt, which counteract with the negative ions, in your soul. All you had to do is stand there, and it’ll fix you. I don’t know if that’s true scientifically; I don’t really care to find out. I think the sentiment is true. For years since then, when I feel extremely lost, I let myself walk into the ocean. And I just stand there. And just like she promised, it heals me.

Drawn on paper, then scanned in to Adobe Photoshop for adjustments. Final adjustments made in Adobe Illustrator.