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.

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a poem by IJWBAA| Sept 8, 2024

On quiet nights, with the moon shining bright,

A digital artist works with all his might.

He’s inspired, but inside, there’s a quiet pain,

Every pixel feels like a hard-fought gain.

The screen is his canvas, full of dark and light,

His mind is a maze, confusing yet bright.

He wants to bring his dreams to life in digital form,

But worries that his true self will be forlorn.

Every color shows a piece of his troubled mind,

Every line reveals what he’s trying to find.

In each creation, he searches for some peace,

But with every click, his struggles seem to increase.

In his hands, he holds both a blessing and a curse,

The digital world—his escape and his burden.

A Little Note: IJWBAA’s poem captures the solitude and emotional complexity of a digital artist’s journey, where inspiration and struggle intertwine. The quiet night symbolizes isolation, while each pixel represents a hard-fought victory in the pursuit of artistic expression. The artist grapples with the fear of losing his true self in his digital creations, finding both meaning and turmoil in every stroke of color and line. While art offers an escape, it also deepens his internal conflicts, making creation both a blessing and a burden. The poem reflects the paradox of artistic passion—where the act of bringing dreams to life can sometimes feel like an unrelenting struggle for peace and identity.

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.