This topic came as a direct response to the global situation (Covid 19), our ways of life had drastically shifted, our routines disrupted, our ideas of what was possible completely transformed and so who were we now? It also happened to coincide at an interesting time for me personally as I was in the middle of reading New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and questioning my own ideas of identity; it couldn’t have been more relevant. Not to mention the reveal of TST’s new brand identity as well. Synchronicity at its finest.

In his book he talks about the Ego, and how the Ego is constantly trying to identify with some form or other, some idea or concept, and how detrimental that is to our existence because by doing so we suppress our true “identity”, our True Self.

This poster was a reflection of that idea, that there are many ways in which we can choose to identify ourselves: geography, ethnicity, faith, skin color, gender, occupation, age, nationality, an object, a mythical creature, a lifestyle, a disease, a “defect”, an action, a word, and the list can go on forever. I placed the masks on mannequin heads and stacked them on a shelf to reflect that its an ideology that we bought into, like the clothes in our closets. But whatever identity we choose to wear, there is so much more beyond that. Your true self is underneath the layers, your true self is the one that watches your toxic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and nudges at your heart to remind you that you are bigger than that.

Having the character up front without a mask on, felt defiant, inviting even, asking the audience can you leave your mask on the shelf? Let’s talk about that.