The Lyrics of Self-Acceptance

by R. Yuki Agriardi

Lost

When I feel alone
there's once in a while thought
to pour myself away.

Then I saw,
I was never alone,
but only lost.

Lost from my herd away.

Agriardi is known as an artist that often works with the color of blue and the portrayal of animals, instead this time he uses a juxtaposition of 100 highly colorful drawings and lyrics. As if expressing that each phase towards self-acceptance can't be flattened-out to one perspective, reason, and problem, hence the explosion of color and experience inside this book.

This book is part of his new series of work: Future Habitat of Happiness. Where he tries to investigate human wellbeing through his journey in understanding himself as a person who is struggling with daily madness in this anxious period of time. This book doesn't propose any solution, but rather shares the artist's perspective and accentuates the awareness about self-acceptance, which hopefully will echo for those who also struggle to accept themselves.

Genres: Poetry

154 pages, ebook

Published August 26, 2021

Reviews

[Nike Andaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

94 - 2021

Tadinya saya mikir, ini kayaknya biasa aja deh bukunya, tapi ternyata...
Menerima diri itu salah satu yang harus kita lakukan.
Saya mendapati puisi-puisi dalam buku ini terasa sangat sesuai judulnya.
Saya merasa diajak menyelami apa yang ditulis oleh Agriardi dan juga dari ilustrasinya. Diajak untuk menyelami diri sendiri juga. Dengan berbagai pertanyaan, kenapa begini? mengapa begitu? apa yang terasa saat ini? dll
Sungguh rasanya bisa menyelami diri saya sendiri.
Ilustrasinya juga bagus

[Meiliana Kan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading poetry book. I never thought that I can fit in that kind of writing (because it usually served in ambiguity that confused me a lot) but I kinda like this book. It feels like the author write and draw freely to show his stages of self-acceptance and I can enjoy every words and every drawings effortlessly.

In the introduction, the author said that the he had been such a neat freak and didn't like to use oil pastels because it's "dirty". But, the older he get, the better he know that oil pastels is full of uncertainty but he could create his visual that he don't have full control and he said it had taught him to accept the imperfection of his being. Little did he know that his works also help me to slowing down a bit, especially because I read this book when loneliness hits me (again). Thank you for making this work.

Here are my fav from this book

"Sometimes I have this thought
we are all weavers
trying to weave out pains and failures
fabricating a personal blanket
to protect ourselves from the harsh world

Sometimes I have this thought
we are all weavers
trying to weave our happiness and triumphs
fabricating outer coat
to hide our wounded mind"

Btw, I also feel touched when I read the conversation between the author and Arie Ardhana Riswarie, the Registered Art Theraphist in Indonesia. They talked about the author's works. The "whats", the "whys", and the "meanings". And the Arie explained the difference between "expressing" and "inspiring".

"While in expressing you still want to make a statement, "This is who I am", "This is who I want to be", etc. When you inspire, you don;t have that need anymore. You just want to connect."

I don't really understand art, but I know that this work was created for inspire other people. This work isn't "loud" but I can feel its sincerity.

[Riza · Rating 4 out of 5]

When i first read this book i feel touch by the author confess about using oil pastel. That using oil pastel who make him learn to accept the imperfect of our being because the imperfect of visual when drawing with oil pastel.

Even though i don't know much about art, but the drawing and poetry make me feel how the author feel of darkest and brightest of his feeling and how he gradually accept himself as who he is. And some word and draw resonate with myself. The most i like is page 79 about the arrival of choice. The line
"Do i ever notice
is it privilege to have choice?"

It is make me though that everything can become a privilege. somehow.

The conversation with the art therapist is make me more touch and understanding the book.

I recommend this book for someone who loved painting and poetry

[Puty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the drawings but reading the poems feels like reading someone's diary without permission. You know the person writing it is in trouble but you can't really feel the pain.

for example this one:

"Sometimes I want to be erased
just for a while
to not know things I've learnt
leave the unknown things behind"

or some lines I read to often on Instagram like:

"it's okay
it's okay
you are not a failure
you are okay to be not okay"

However, I'm personally grateful that Indonesian publishing companies are more and more open to works with fine art like this 😊

[Priskylla Anindya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salah satu alasanku jatuh cinta pada buku adalah kadang buku lebih bisa memahami perasaanku daripada orang di sekitarku. Aku suka buku ini, rasanya buku ini sangat relate denganku. It's okay untuk menjadi tidak sempurna karena memang tidak ada satupun makhluk hidup yang sempurna di dunia ini. Konsep buku ini juga menarik, penulis seakan ingin menyampaikan bahwa membuat kesalahan adalah hal yang wajar, bersedih dan merasa hilang tanpa arah juga tidak masalah karena semuanya sementara, akan ada saat dimana kamu sampai pada tujuanmu, akan ada hari dimana kamu bersukacita dan menulis kisah yang bahagia.

Aku beberapa kali harus menarik napas dan memejamkan mataku, bahkan air mataku hampir mengalir saat menulis review ini. Selain karena relate denganku, buku ini juga sangat berwarna dan Ilustrasinya menjelaskan banyak hal. Intinya tidak apa-apa kalau kamu sedang tidak baik-baik saja, karena semua memiliki waktunya masing-masing, semua ada masanya dan masamu juga akan tiba. Yang penting adalah kamu terus berjuang, kamu mengapresiasi dan mencintai dirimu. Sayangnya, ada beberapa kata yang dicetak terlalu tipis dan membuatku kesulitan memahami kata tersebut.

✨ I'm standing in between two states: a state where i worry about the future and a state where i try to live in the present.

✨How does things actually end? When everything seems to be on delay and our breath and getting slower day by day. Our time is floating and our mind is wandering. Is it better to delay? If it's going to be done one day? Every moment is a fragile fragment, there's no need to pretend to look strong to the end and feeding the worrying mind.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Awal baca buku ini karna in the mood for light reading, ternyata bukunya more than that. Buku ini adalah kumpulan puisi dan gambar yang dibuat sama penulisnya sendiri saat dia ngalamin burnout dan pengen nyari tahu lebih dalam tentang hidupnya. Aku dengan jelas bisa ngerasain kejujuran dan perasaan penulis dari gambar dan puisinya.

Gambar dalam buku ini dibuat dari crayon dan cenderung abstrak tapi beberapa punya pesan yang meaningful apalagi kalo disandingkan dengan poetry yang dibuat disamping atau bawah gambar.

Quick and enjoyable reading.

[peachberryss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cukup menarik. Buku di buka dengan alasan penulis menggambar menggunakan oil pastels : accepting the imperfection of visual. Isi buku cukup pendek-pendek dengan gambar-gambar setiap halamannya. Yang menarik, banyak coretan yang salah dan dibenarkan dengan kata yang benar, dengan tulis tangan langsung, kayak buku yang udah pernah dipakai dan dicoret gitu, lucu deh. Buku diakhiri dengan percakapan penulis dengan art therapist.

[Safitri Arum Nurlita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful drawings and the lyrics are fine🧡 there's no any solution or suggestion, of course, bcs this is a poetry book and the writer is just express his thoughts and I enjoy his journey. A good company for my Saturday morning ✨

[Wiwit Astari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilustrasi yang menyenangkan juga kata-kata yang terangkai tentang bagaimana pikiran-pikiran mengenai diri sendiri bisa mengalir begitu saja. Berisi tentang evaluasi, intropeksi, kesenangan juga kenangan lengkap ada di sini.

[marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lyrics of Self-Acceptance is my new comfort book. I would never imagine it because I usually have a hard time understanding the meaning of poetry books. This book explains the author's journey in the process of self-acceptance with no solution or suggestion, purely his thoughts delivered through the conversation of his artworks and verses.

The idea of this book is interesting because it seems the author wants to say that making mistakes, being sad, and feeling lost are natural things and temporary. Reading this book feels like I'm reading my silly diary since the verses are familiar with my scattered thoughts. I feel validated by it for the reason that I'm not alone in questioning myself. Everyone is experiencing the same situation in a different skin.

My favorite part of the book is when the author has a conversation with the art therapist. Though I don't do art, I feel touched by it because I feel the same way.

Some of my favorite verses are The Wall (p. 13), I feel Nothing but also Something (p. 41), and I like the Way You See Me as Another Person (p.95).

[Plain Butter Croissant · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this book different than the usual poetry book you’ll find on shelves:

This book is a process of therapy for the author himself, he manually draws 100 BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS, and revisit it again to understand his drawings and feelings.

His drawings are very passionate, maybe because the texture of soft pastels he uses for the drawings, maybe it’s the “spontaneity” that seems to explode from the drawings, each drawings too wonderful to skip. The emotion in each drawings are even more felt with the “lyrics” accompanying them.

Complete with a conversation with an art therapist, this book is a new approach to art, poetry, and therapy.

[Pauline Destinugrainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Momennya pas saat baca buku ini. Saat saya merasakan kehilangan, dan puisi-puisi di dalamnya menyuarakan hal yang sama. Puisinya dilengkapi dengan gambar ilustrasi karya penulis sendiri. Yang menarik adalah bagian epilog, ada percapakan antara penulis dengan "orang luar" yang menganalisis puisi-puisi dalam buku ini.

[marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

my favorite part of the book is when the author has a conversation with the art therapist. though i don't do art, i feel touched by it because I feel the same way.

some of my favorites are the wall (p. 13), i feel nothing but also something (p. 41), and i like the way you see me as another erson (p.95)

[Caca · Rating 4 out of 5]

"we all are broken,
beautiful broken mess."

awalnya baca ini hanya iseng aja, tapi ternyata ini puisi yang cantik dan dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi yang abstrak.

pas baca ini, jadi bertanya-tanya juga sih. apa aku juga udah mengenal diriku sendiri(?)

[Khansa Nabila · Rating 4 out of 5]

ilustrasi yang cantik dengan kata-kata yang indah, sangat menarik untuk membacanya hingga selesai dalam sekali duduk 👌❤

[Indira Kartika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sudah kuduga, buku ini memang menarik. Tidak memberikan solusi tapi lebih ke ekspresi diri, membangkitkan hasrat saya untuk kembali menggambar dan menulis kata2 indah.

[Luz · Rating 3 out of 5]

141/365

[Stella Wenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried to speak the truth
but ended up covering something up.

I tried to step forward
but ended up walking in the past.

[Valencia Putri · Rating 4 out of 5]

i sob a little when i read it

[Mirdell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ilustrasinya bagus dan isi kata-katanya cukup menarik.

[Felisitas Flora Sambe Mambela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some lyrics are just resonate with me.