Obsidian Album Cover Art

I am honored for the opportunity to create this beautiful piece. I am such a fan of Izik’s. Not only of his incredible talent, but also in awe of his soul. The first time we met was in Kona. He was opening for a mutual friend of ours. We instantly connected, and there was an effortlessness that came with our friendship. Sometimes people are put in our path, and you just know deeply that it was not a coincidence. They get you. They see you. They understand, without any explanation. That was my experience when I met this vibrant being. Izik, I love you.

The show Tim Rose and I did was at Daylight Mind in Kailua-Kona. He was on tour throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and I was grateful at the opportunity to participate in this event. Tim and Izik were preforming live while I showcased some of my work. Izik approached me after the show, and we shared our admiration for each other. We were instant fans of one another. He told me he was interested in having me create the art for his debut album, Obsidian. I was beyond excited. I had fallen in love with his voice on the first note. We met up in Oahu soon after, where Izik lives, and we talked about his vision for the album cover. He wanted something unique, with meaning, and purpose. This was his life’s work, his heart and soul. I knew, intuitively knew that something incredible was in the works. On the flight home to Kona, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I had a vision. Inspiration filled my heart, and I couldn’t wait to get started.

During this creation I had an epiphany. Izik sent me some of the tracks on his album so I could connect on a deeper level. I was obsessed. I was listening to his album on repeat while I worked on the piece. His voice was the only thing I wanted to listen to. I wanted his energy and emotions present while I created. It was like I was channeling his essence into the art. I started to feel the healing powers of the stone, Snowflake Obsidian. It was dragging emotions from past and present relationships that were buried to the surface, without my approval. At first I was resistant. I kept fighting it. I didn’t really know what was happening or why, but I was uncomfortable. I was hesitant, doubting myself. Not trusting my hands, or my heart. I was struggling with my self-worth and filled with fear and insecurity. The emotions I was experiencing were heavy, and difficult to face. But sitting in that uncertainty was more painful than surrendering. In order to finish the piece, I had to stop resisting. I had to lean into it, let go, and surrender to the process. My perspective changed. I was no longer creating the art. The art was creating me. I was evolving along with the piece. I was healing.

Snowflake Obsidian is a black lava rock that provides balance for the mind, body and spirit. It helps you recognize wrong thinking and stressful mental patterns. It empowers isolation and loneliness aiding surrender in meditation. It teaches you to value mistakes as well as successes. Rather than absorbing negative or shadow energies it honors and ignores them. It treats those energies as if they are a part of our natural environment, not something to be rid of. Because snowflake obsidian supports you in connecting with your intuitive senses and activates the imagination it supports seeing your world more clearly, including a profound awareness of the synchronicity and seemingly coincidental events that are aligning to support you. Its properties are self-awareness, grounding, and intuition. It will calm and soothe, allowing you to view unhealthy patterns in your own behavior, thus opening the door to change. The blackness of the stone enhances the ability to reach your inner-self. It helps draw emotions to the surface, and examines harmful thought patterns. It’s a cleanser of negative energies in the environment but also one’s own emotions; anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, etc. It quickly brings these truths to the surface.

These truths are not easy to deal with. I personally would rather run than try to cope with some of them. But the only way to be rid of them is to face them. The only way to heal is to feel because the only way out — is through.

My experience developed the more my heart was open. I started to hear the real message within the music. His voice is completely out of this world and the music melodies are upbeat, uplifting. They make me want to dance. But, the more I listened to the lyrics, the deeper I saw. I began to feel the emotions that go along with heartache, and I started to recognize my own pain. It’s painful when someone you love is not ready, or unable to love you back. Being powerless over people, as well as our emotions is a difficult space to be.

I feel that everyone can relate to Izik’s music. If you listen to his poetry, he speaks of experiences with love and relationships. We have all felt the pain, rejection, and uncertainty, along with the excitement, pleasure, and the euphoria that love creates. We can all relate.

The symbolism behind this piece is beautiful. His hand covering one eye represents the blockage and blindness we have with our own emotions, thoughts, and repetitive patterns. Especially when it comes to love and relationships. His seeing through the heart of the obsidian symbolizes healing. It is our hope. It represents the process of bringing forth the truths, in order to change and embrace growth so we become balanced in our minds, bodies, and hearts. So we can love, unconditionally.

The zippers represent this mask we wear in love, and life. Through socialization we are taught to hide who we are, that there is something wrong with us, and eventually we learn self-hatred, as a defense mechanism. We learn to put ourselves down first, before other’s can, so it stings less when they do. We pretend to be the person we think others want us to be, not who we truly are. This is excruciating, and detrimental to our happiness. The secret is…. there is nothing wrong with you, or me. We are exactly who we are supposed to be in this moment of time. The zippers are opening in the piece, because I recognized through Izik’s music that he is not hiding who he is. He is revealing himself, his truth, his heartache, and his love. Unzipping the mask, unzips our hearts, and allows us to be free. We open ourselves up to unconditional love if we have the courage to take the mask off and show who we truly are, flaws and all. Unconditional love is the only love there really is. Not everyone is capable of this, that’s why it’s so hard to reveal us. We’ve all had experiences where we step into vulnerability and reveal the depths of our souls, only to be hurt. So, we put the mask back on as protection. The truth is not everyone is meant, or capable of loving you in this way. Accepting this makes it easier. But the only way to find the ones, who are capable of this love, is having the courage to open up. One of my favorite parts is the roses on his lips and growing inside of his eye. Izik shared with me how important it was to have roses in this piece. His grandma, Rose, who he loves so truly is no longer here. She is watching him from above, and I know she is so proud. She is filled with happiness for him and this journey he is on. The people we love are always present, always with us, even when the physical form is no longer here.

The roses were placed on his lips and eyes to symbolize love’s truth. Seeing, and speaking your truth is a journey to the soul. It is a path through the universe to our hearts. Every step towards love is a step in the right direction. There is no wrong way. All roads lead back to love, because love is all there is.

I hope you all enjoy this album, “Obsidian,” as much as I do. You can download it on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Music, or purchase the physical CD from Izik Moreno or me. http://www.izikmuzik.com

Album Release Party at The Modern, Honolulu (May 10th 2016)

Original Photo used for the creation of the piece