Some believe love is in the air 'round this time of year, what with the
imminence of the relationship-worshipping fiesta that is Valentine's Day. Amid
all the roses and Hallmark cards flooding our drugstore aisles, it can be easy
to forget: For plenty of single ladies (and men) out there, the only valentine
they want to celebrate with is themselves.
Luckily, one Mexican artist is drawing (literal) attention to the beauty of
being alone, with a series of black and white illustrations in which women
solitarily go about their lives.
And even though there aren't any men in the picture, love is still in the
air!
The woman behind the images is Mexico-based artist Idalia Candelas, who
told Mic she uses pencil, ink and watercolor. She has named this particular
series "Postmodern Loneliness" and published the drawings in a small
book titled Alone.
Candelas said the project was mostly inspired by her time living alone in
Mexico City.
"The theme of the loneliness has been recurring in my drawings,"
she said. "Even though people try to avoid [it] [out of] fear, being in
that situation is increasingly common in our society."
But don't let the words "loneliness" or "alone" fool
you — Candelas doesn't believe spending time alone is a bad thing.
"I like to show women who exist in solitude but do not suffer,"
Candelas said. "They are not depressed or crying. Rather [they] are safe,
exalting in the sense of enjoying the company of just herself."
Of course, that's not what we generally assume. Being alone often has a sad
stigma attached to it, with some researchers going so far as to say too much
alone time could actually be deadly (because some researchers are drama queens)
because humans need a certain amount of social interaction. Yet plenty of
people swear by how much pleasure doing things alone can bring, with some
research suggesting it could actually be good for us.
An Australian study in 2015 concluded that traveling alone, in particular,
often results in "personal feelings of freedom, relaxation and
discovery." Meanwhile, other studies have linked general alone time to
such positive benefits as being able to have a clear mind and even combatdepression.
So if you're flying solo this Valentine's Day, enjoy the luxury of lazily
lounging around the house without having to give a shit about anybody else's
emotions or Netflix preferences. If these drawings are any indication, it will
be a restorative and relaxing weekend indeed.
