"I believe in the power of love. It is the greatest power in the universe”, Tima said and smiled.

"I also believe in living a self-determined life”, she added. “Life puts you under pressure, and that pressure—like the process of forming a diamond—takes you deep within. This is where you find your true path.

You can reprogram yourself, no matter what society, school, or the news tells you. They make us forget that we can live life on our own terms. Diamonds are formed under pressure.” Tima is a self-educated painter working in the same studio as I do. She really goes her own way and carves out beauty and possibilities with determination. The day we had this conversation, she was wearing two different earrings: One in the shape of a key, and one in the shape of a small dreamcatcher. I asked her about the meaning of her earrings.

“You carry the key to your own happiness within you; you shouldn't look for it outside yourself: This earring reminds me of this. You don't find happiness; you choose it. Happiness is a decision.

The dreamcatcher earring – I wear it to remind myself to keep working on my dreams. I believe in a Creator who made us all—a Primal Source. I believe in miracles. That is, by the way, why I’m here (at the studio)! One day last year, I just happened to walk by; I wanted to run an errand at the late-night shop next door, but it was closed. So I kept walking and ended up passing the studio. It was already September, and I had a studio space in Prenzlauer Berg on my vision board for 2025. By that time, I had started wondering whether this was actually going to happen. It was getting so late in the year… I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. But then I found this space – and had my first group exhibition here as well shortly after.”

Tima’s smallest reflects finding and carving out the way to your own happiness, going your own path. The smallest is square, white – like the predetermined structure of school and society. I added a thick layer of frost-white paint to it to make this structure even heavier. Into this layer, I let a flow of pink and golden water stream from the Primal Source, with the colours symbolising the power of love. A stream that seeks out and finds happiness, carving its own path. It is not following any predetermined direction but rather goes where it wants to go – following its vision. The river shimmers with diamond dust. Once your true path has been found, once the pressure of the formal structures have created a diamond within you, this diamond has the power to sparkle and illuminate your path, making it even more beautiful.