IJWBAA [eej-wah] is a Filipino digital artist and the first Filipino recognized in the Techspressionism movement. He is a neologist and the originator of Decolonial Minimalism—an art movement that reclaims minimalism through ancestral memory and cultural reawakening. His works, compiled in two volumes of I Just Wannabe an Artist, have been recognized, officially archived, cataloged, and made available in the collections of the Gallerie degli Uffizi, Museo Reina Sofía, the National Museum of the Philippines, Getty Research Institute, and other prominent cultural institutions worldwide.

Cutting My Wings

a poem by IJWBAA | March 22, 2025

I reached out,

a quiet tap on the digital glass,

hoping for a space

to be seen, to be heard.

But my words,

they were lost

in the flood of apologies

I sent,

not always,

but enough.

I said sorry—

once, twice,

too many times to count—

yet the silence

was all I got.

The blocks kept coming,

one after the other,

cutting the wings

I tried to spread

across this world of art,

a world I thought

was wide enough

to hold me.

Now it feels small,

like there’s no room for someone like me,

but I wonder—

is art only for the unbroken?

Or is it for those of us

who keep reaching

even when it feels like we’re falling?

A Little Note: "Cutting My Wings" reflects the emotional toll of seeking recognition in the art world while facing rejection and silence. It captures the vulnerability of an artist reaching out, only to be met with indifference, making him question his place in a space he once believed was expansive enough to hold him. The repeated apologies convey self-doubt, while the "blocks" symbolize both literal social media rejections and the larger barriers that stifle creative expression. Yet, despite feeling unwelcome, the poem ends with a powerful question—whether art belongs only to the unbroken or to those who persist despite their struggles—highlighting the resilience of artists who continue to create even in the face of exclusion.

SO, WHAT'S NEXT?

Hi, I'm Pao aka IJWBAA. I'm a digital artist, painter, and a book author from the Philippines. If you enjoyed reading this you might like to read also:

• The Digital Artist Digest

• Poems by IJWBAA

• Quotes from a Wannabe Artist

• Notes to Self

I would greatly appreciate if you could kindly share this to people whom you know will be interested to read this through social media, email, text, or message.

Thank you.