2.8.20 // This is Me.

This is me.
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A feeler of emotion. Not just one, but a feeler of the full emotional spectrum as vast and detailed as the colors of a rainbow that linger after a soft summer rain…
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This became so evident at TeamLab Boarderless.
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For context, I was excited about this digital art exhibit, but I knew it was all the rage on Instagram and I feared it would be riddled with teens and their phones. Even with this knowledge, I knew I needed to experience it first hand.
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And I’m so glad I did…
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At the entrance, the crowds were shuffling in from the rain. It was a damp night in Tokyo and it had already been a tough day for my anxiety. I looked to Taylor, who had been before, with a choking smile which could have easily been seen as a grimace. We listened to the rules and were guided into the darkness.
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Immediately we were greeted with swarms of people in the front room who were posing with the bright pink, yellow, and purple flowers that cascaded on their faces and reflected in the mirrors. It was a color trip of movement and light. We stood and watched the transitions for a moment, but I was distracted by the other humans who were trying to record memories.
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We kept walking. We walked from room to room enjoying the art and silently floating through the visual trip. But it wasn’t until we entered the “crystal world” that I fully felt the experience.
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The “crystal world” is a combination of mirrors and LED lights that hang around the patrons. Light moves up and down the long ribbons and through the room. It was incredible and for the first few moments, I stood there in awe, not noticing the people or the rest of the world.
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Then came the rain. The indoor rain. With the sound of thunder storming overhead and soft rain echoing in my ears, I looked up to see the world melting around me. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like a real-world, physical manifestation of the feelings I have been holding in my heart for so long…
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I looked up and let every single emotion wash over me. My eyes welled with tears, my smile broadened, and my palms which I had unconsciously held in a ball, opened as if I could feel the raindrops on my palms.
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It was transcendent. At that moment, everything in life made sense. I felt every emotion, the full spectrum, and while it was only a moment, it was otherworldly…