as the universe, so the soul
i believe most people have a natural tendency to be good natured. however, many of them sabotage this tendency daily by engaging in actions that are unpleasant, unkind, or lacking in charity, often in subtle or quiet ways. it needs to be learned to think in a quite and still state, free from negative or detrimental thoughts, without being overly critical or harmful to oneself or others. when this thinking becomes so unbearable that it the urge to escape through a substance or a habit. in reality, when an individual trying to forget himself is holds a teaching which, he’s trying to forget a persona, he is attempting to escape from a persona he finds unmanageable. i believe there’s no way of getting away with it except by outgrowing it.
i have seen many people disheartened and the innate kindness of the soul often goes unexpressed. maybe this is likely why monastic orders emerged across different religions, as those seeking a virtuous life withdrew from society into convents or monasteries to dedicate themselves to prayer and meditation. while this might have seemed like a noble pursuit idea, it ultimately fails since these individuals became disconnected from outside world. the focus shifts solely on saving their own souls, neglecting the greater purpose of contributing to the world. i believe, humanity is meant to be built on cooperation, where everyone helps others achieve their reasonable and honorable desires. I believe true humanity lies in this cooperative spirit, where problems are solved by those experiencing them.
as within, so without
i choose to understand this axiom as a key part of the personal journey toward understanding human nature. plato explored a similar idea in timaeus, proposing that the human soul is a microcosm of the universe itself. just as the macrocosm of the universe mirrors the microcosm of the soul, so too do our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors mirror the world around us, just like what is in our internal state and is part of the external world.
I believe, at our core, we are not fundamentally different from one another. we all embody the same archetypes, but our individual experiences, attachments, and perspectives create the illusion of separation. yet this perceived separation, while an illusion, is an integral part of our growth. it serves as a mirror through which we better understand our own nature. the family into which we are born, the things we endure, and the joys we celebrate are all guideposts, uniquely tailored to our individual paths. i like to believe they are guideposts, markers along the way to understand our cyclical nature and personal growth.
as above, so below
long ago, it is said that alexander the great, while king of macedonia, ventured into the desert to visit the tomb of hermes, a site that has since disappeared from modern knowledge. upon opening the tomb, he looked down at the remains of the great sage, whose body had turned to ashes. among these ashes, he found the emerald tablet of hermes, inscribed with a now world famous teaching. that which is above is like that which is below, and that which is below is like that which is above. this axiom laid the foundation for medieval science, which was built on the concept of parallels between the macrocosm and the microcosm, viewing the universe as a great man, and man as a small universe.
i believe this teaching emphasizes that, one is what one’s mind is. the mind is an active agent, constantly working to reconcile opposites. its journey, driven by an eternal instinct for inquiry, reflects a purpose. we cannot settle into any fixed pattern until we reconcile the opposites within and around us. the greek schools of thought were committed to various disciplines, believing in the importance of training the mind and preparing it for deeper experiences. this pursuit, however, is essentially a journey homeward, a quest for self discovery. i also believe the mind is not only capable of perpetuation and self-discipline it is capable of a procreative process, in other words mind is capable of giving birth.
@grails_band konserleri için çizip, ardından linoya oyarak hazırladığım Ankara – İstanbul konser posterlerini sizinle paylaşmak isterim.
@flash.markt ’ta geçen 3 günlük küçük ama yoğun bir maceranın sonunda, bu posterleri hep birlikte bastık.
Toplamda sadece 35 edisyon,
tek renk lino baskı,
40 × 60 cm ölçülerinde.
Bu limitli edisyonlardan edinmek isterseniz bana DM üzerinden ulaşabilir ya da konseri bekleyip merch standından posterleri alabilirsiniz.
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I’d like to share the Ankara – Istanbul concert posters I created for the Grails shows, first drawn, then carved into lino. After a small but intense three-day adventure at Flashmarkt, we printed these posters together by hand.
There are only 35 editions in total: a single-color linocut print, measuring 40 × 60 cm.
If you’d like to own one of these limited editions, you can DM me or find them at the concert merch stand.
For @grails_band ’s upcoming shows, 18 Jan Ankara / 19 Jan Istanbul, we carved and printed a special linocut poster edition.
Over the years I’ve been a huge fan of Grails, their music has been a great inspiration for me, something I kept returning to while drawing. This time, I finally had the chance to reflect back some of what I received from them over the years, turning that inspiration into this piece.
This one was born at @flash.markt , across three intense days of printing, a small time window, and a lot of collective energy. @candaniscan and @keremardahan held the whole print universe together, guiding the process, keeping the rhythm, and pulling us back into balance whenever I drifted into chaos. Printmaking hits different when mistakes are shared, laughed at, and solved together.
For the special color editions, @asudeilick painted the backgrounds by hand, giving each one its own atmosphere and pulse.
In total, we printed 35 editions, including 5 special color editions.
How to get the posters will be announced soon.
And hopefully we’ll see you all at the concerts.
Greed is far older than any market. Midas turning his world into lifeless gold, Erysichthon devouring himself from the inside out, Fafnir transformed into a dragon by the weight of his own treasure. When desire loses proportion, the self collapses inward. The greedier the character grows, the more they dissolve into the emptiness they created. When value stops circulating, when it no longer moves between hands, hearts, and communities, it stagnates. And anything that stagnates begins to rot.
