Mindsets – Embracing our Differences Initiative

This illustration was created as part of the Embracing Our Differences 2024 project, which uses the power of art and prose to promote inclusion, kindness, and respect.
In my illustration, at first glance, there is a clear separation between a sad, dark, and modernized world on one side and a joyful, colorful, and nature-integrated world on the other. Upon closer examination, each character has a specific detail that makes them unique. From left to right: an overweight person, a Muslim individual, someone with borderline personality disorder (with self-inflicted scars on their hand), a person of color, a homeless person. In the center: someone amputated at both arms, a hippie, a non-binary individual, someone with facial paralysis, a person with Down syndrome, and an Arab person.
Beyond this, the illustration invites multiple interpretations. Notice, too, the closeness and warmth on the right side, where people are touching and connecting, contrasted with the distance and isolation on the left.