The Intersection of Nature and Nurture

Ethics and the Evolving Narrative of Lében

I just realized that I am publicly private; it’s quite the conundrum. I think we need to be deeper to quench our souls.

MelissAllegories is an allegorical narrative art collection that tells the story of Lében, a fictitious world, through visual arts and creative writing. At Smile Sweet Sunflower LLC, we believe in the power of allegorical stories to inspire critical thinking for discernment, encourage mindfulness to foster self-empowerment and personal growth, and celebrate cultural diversity to help create a more compassionate and equitable world where every individual can flourish and contribute meaningfully to society. Rather than focusing on nature versus nurture, our work emphasizes the relationship between humanity and the biosphere—on, above, and below, where all life exists—as an interaction between nature and nurture: a willingness and consensus between biological and environmental factors to sustain life. We view a balanced and harmonious relationship with the natural world as essential for human flourishing in the concrete world, which is influenced by our conceptual worlds and vice versa.

At the root of all religions lies ethics. Consciousness is like an instrument, played harmoniously when we support one another. Although I am naturally private, reserved and empathetic, I aim to stand out for good by communicating secular, ethical, and logical principles through the storytelling arts.

In the process of inventing a fictitious world, I am letting the universe steer me as I race against time. Creating and building a narrative feels like uncovering hidden connections. As I research, ideas intuitively link—sometimes eerily, sometimes surprisingly—like discovering something I didn’t know I already knew. For example, I chose the Crow as the sentinel and imagined an Electric Forest engulfed in fire, only to later learn of its ties to the Great Plague of London. These unknowable connections breathe life into my work in ways I never expect.

The story unfolds with Centipede’s father, Ignorance Chilopod, driven by survival instincts to cannibalism. Ultimately, Ignorance Chilopod lives in solitude with his son on the banks of the Electric Forest. The narrative then shifts to the Caged-City, an urban environment that explores themes of freedom, confinement, societal structures, and the human condition, following the tragic Forest Fire.

Gallery Walls to Quiet Moments: Dreaming, Creating & Growing Time2Bloom

This year, I presented our first commercial solo exhibition in a gallery space, serendipitously showcasing eight pieces at The Robert A. Peck Gallery at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyoming. It was also my first attempt at making a sale, as well as using the Time2Bloom brand package method. Time2Bloom is a creative brand and for-profit initiative under Smile Sweet Sunflower LLC. Established in 2011, it received copyright protection and achieved partial trademark registration through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2024. Dedicated to nurturing human potential through storytelling and unique, exclusive art, Time2Bloom fuses creativity with purpose to inspire growth and transformation through collective consciousness.

We are working to showcase intricate relief paintings and allegorical pieces that depict stories and values through symbolism. I recently showcased Uphill, Circa 2024 in the Flowers and Trees art exhibition at the MVA Gallery (Modern Visual Arts) in historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. To my surprise, On the Banks, Circa 2024 was selected as one of the new additions for an evening exhibition at Galleria Ft. Lauderdale in celebration of Earth Day, joining many other talented artists. I wasn’t sure if my quirky narrative artwork would be the right fit. Rustic Treehouse, Circa 2024 will also be featured in HOPE springs… at the Arts Illiana Gallery! I am truly honored and deeply thankful for these opportunities.

Arsh Sharma, from the YouTube channel Fuzz Culture, said in his video titled Why Society Hates Artists (And Always Has), “Artists are the originators of the ideas of tomorrow. They change minds. They challenge power. They expose corruption. These are ideas that dream up a reality that doesn’t exist right now and may be implemented years later. These are the ideas that matter.” He further stated, “In democratic societies, they don’t ban artists. They just make sure they can’t survive.”

I’ve found myself wondering: why is chasing dreams so hard? And why is most of the population broke and in debt? We live in a world where dreaming often feels like an act of rebellion. Maybe, I’ll need a wingman. Perhaps, that’s the only way.

Nevertheless, I am grateful to sit in quiet for a moment—
 To inhale and exhale, hearing the whooshing of cars and planes passing through the wind.
 To stay still, just for a moment, while life happens and the birds chirp.

I can worry about tomorrow,
 About all the things I haven’t accomplished.
 I can drench myself in the feeling of an oncoming cold.
 Or I can relish in the fact that things will get better with time.

At a slow and steady pace,
 Making a small effort every day.
 Look how far we’ve come.

I know it’s not enough,
 But it’s something.

Yearning for More: The Struggle Between Integrity and Survival

There’s a natural yearning for more that we all seek. The opponent is survival, which can often jeopardize our integrity and our ability to do the right thing, even when no one’s watching. In Uphill: There she sat, uphill, dreaming. Meanwhile, her heart was screaming, beating like an ocean of emotions, steaming… She was forever longing for something more.

When we identify ourselves solely with the body, we forget that we are a collective consciousness. If we focused more on the deeper meanings behind our thoughts and emotions, rather than the fleeting frustrations, we might see things differently. It is this interconnectedness—our intertwined thoughts and emotions—that makes life strange, yet serves as a reminder that there’s something more than the trivial things we get upset about daily.

Magnolia, a character inspired by my personality and life experiences—not a complete replica, but a source of nuanced inspiration—finds solace in nature while wrestling with animalistic desires, intellectual pursuits and the quest to improve the social landscape.

I think most of us can relate to Magnolia in that we’re all striving to become something greater than what we are now, while navigating feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, the desire for affection and understanding, and the exhaustion of simply trying to survive. It’s about confronting discomfort, overcoming adversity, and more than anything, chasing dreams without settling for less.

Magnolia can be seen as a playful and soft character, unafraid to express her childlike, feminine side. In today’s world, however, being too feminine or youthful is often viewed as subordinate. This reflects a culture that undervalues softness, playfulness and vulnerability, mistaking them for weakness.

Magnolia moves in and out of her shadow self, understanding that the nature of being is never one-sided. She tends to exude traits, such as empathy, that are often misunderstood as weakness, rather than complementary strengths—traits that bring balance, creativity and humanity to a world increasingly driven by rigidity and competition. Empathy, as I’ve experienced it, is extroverted feeling—it’s an awareness of emotions beyond oneself. In contrast, introverted feelers naturally understand their own emotions and express them outwardly, while extroverted feelers prioritize the emotions of others. Because of this, empaths must work harder to establish healthy boundaries.

“Try not to be friends with people who might stab you in the back”—that’s the motto! Our imaginations can both fuel and inhibit willpower, depending on how we use them. During tough times, when we can’t control the situation, the only thing we can try to control is our perspective and understanding of what’s happening.