BIRTH OF BLOBBY
How this beautifully bizarre blob came to be
The year was 2019…
I had torn my right rotator cuff. Of course it had to be my dominant arm— because why make things easy? As an artist, that was lovely. Even the smallest movement, like brushing my teeth, sent fire through my shoulder. Seeing my frustration at not being able to create, my husband gifted me an iPad with an Apple Pencil. This way, I could still paint, just with minimal movement.
Just like that— my digital work began.
At first, digital painting and I weren’t exactly friends. It wasn’t tactile like I was used to; it felt foreign. I started simple—fruits, a cool little shark dude holding a coffee cup—you know, the usual beginner stuff. Then, one day, a memory surfaced. A flash of seven-year-old me. It wasn’t a happy memory, but I sometimes wonder if it was meant to lead me here.
At seven, I found myself in an unfamiliar place, away from my mom and brother, with strangers who assured me everything was fine. I was given a drink—strawberry milk; perhaps meant for comfort. At first, it was tasty and refreshing. But as time stretched on, I grew sick of it, until even the sight of it made my stomach turn.
After what seemed like an eternity (almost a week in real time), two men in suits arrived. As they put on their sunglasses and asked me to look at the light on the device in front of me, they told me they were sent by my mom. Together, we made the journey across the border, back to her. I later learned she had moved mountains to get me home, as the supposedly trusted individual that had taken me down there, had no intent of returning for me. While things did get resolved, that memory lingered. And then, almost like an airdrop from the God, I saw an image in my mind.
I picked up my Apple Pencil, and started bringing my vision to life. As my hand flew across the iPad screen, slowly but surely, it was taking form. Until— on the iPad screen: a small, pinkish blobby figure, with dark, round eyes, sitting cross-legged in a vast, hazy void. A lone glass in its hand. A dark drink. A single drop had fallen onto its left hand—leaving a permanent mark. A once sweet drink, turned sour by experience.
When I showed my husband the piece, he said, “That looks great! … What is it?” “I don’t know. It’s a … blobby little dude… Oh! Blobby Dude… I like that.” Hence— Blobby Dude was born.
For years, I had searched for a subject. Something other than the human form. Something surreal yet personal. And just like that, it found me.
Since then, Blobbies have filled my work, been exhibited in galleries, found forever homes with collectors, and opened doors to collaborations I never imagined. Funny how something so simple—a blobby little figure—could hold so much.
It still amazes me that this beautifully bizarre Blobby from the depths of my imagination and life experiences, keeps opening doors that I didn’t even know existed.
Through creating Blobby, I realized that negative experiences don’t have to define us. They can be a source of growth and transformation. Blobby Dude is a reminder that even the hardest moments can fuel creativity and lead to something unexpected and beautiful.
While I may not know what the future holds— I can’t wait to see where my constantly evolving work takes me, and I feel blessed to be able to call this my work.
