My belief that everything began in water and continues beyond it grows stronger with each passing day. Water is the point of origin for all of my abstract sculptures. What is abstraction? ​ Abstraction is that which does not physically exist, yet can still be perceived. Much like the world we believe we are living in. This time, I found myself envisioning the movement of an octopus propelling itself upward from the depths, pushing against the water with its arms as it surged toward the surface. Guided by this intuition, I completed the sculpture. But as I observed it more carefully, I noticed something unexpected. I had seen this abstract form somewhere before. The first thing that appeared in my mind was the number 3. Within seconds, I remembered. It closely resembled the abstract form of the Sanskrit symbol AUM (OM). I had seen and heard this famous mantra countless times, yet I had never truly understood its meaning. ​ They say that OM is the sound of the Universe. It is the Universe itself, the Absolute. It is the past, the present, and the future. It exists beyond time. The three curves of the OM symbol are said to represent the three states of consciousness: deep sleep, dreaming, and wakefulness—the complete spectrum of awareness. And perhaps we are now standing on the threshold of an awakening. Everything that is exists for a reason. Nothing is a coincidence; every encounter is a conscious one. Perhaps this is why it has been said: ​ “Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.” Perhaps, when you look at this sculpture, it will remind you of the same message… AWAKEN.