Your Feelings Aren’t Facts

For me, the phrase "Your feelings aren’t facts" is something I repeat to myself when I’m overwhelmed by fear, which honestly, is the emotion that most often drives my decisions and holds me back in so many areas of my life. Fear feels real. It feels true. And it’s fucking terrifying and claustrophobic and crushing.

But feelings aren’t objective truths; they're reactions, interpretations, emotional narratives we create. They don’t always reflect reality, even though they might feel incredibly convincing.

In this piece, I've used bold lines, sharp contrasts, and vivid color-blocking to reflect that tension—the tension between what we feel and what’s objectively true.

The contrasting patterns and the stark segmentation represent how feelings can fragment our perception of ourselves and the world around us.

The eyes in this piece stare directly outward, steady and clear, cutting through the chaotic patterns, symbolizing clarity, strength, and objectivity amidst internal confusion.

Creating this rug was my way of externalizing and confronting the fears that feel so overwhelming. It's a reminder to myself, and maybe to whoever sees it, that even when fear is intense, convincing, and feels deeply real, it still isn't a fact. It's something we feel, not something we necessarily are.