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Writer's pictureJakub Stadnik

Exploration of true potential

Updated: Jun 28, 2022

šŸ‘‰ INTRODUCTION


WARNING! Before you read the article, I suggest you first go to the bottom of this article and write in the comments what do you see? It's important that you do this before reading.


Also, if you're interesting in having the sculpture for yourself, you can make an order and support BFreak Project here:


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INTRODUCTION

Have you ever asked yourself what your true potential is? Do you remember those times when you were young and you believed you could accomplish anything? Do you still have those crazy dreams?


I do, and I believe that we all are able to be much more creative than we think. I don't care what is the norm of society, and where people think are the boundaries of our capabilities. The sculpture that I present to you in this article is a collection of all the inspiration, dreams, questions and emotions that are inside us. This is the essence of true human potential.


This project took me more than 2 years, but finally it's finished. I'm excited to share with you the process and vision behind this sculpture. I want to share this vision with the world, especially with the people who would appreciate it, this is why the sculpture is available for sale. If you are interested, check out the special offer at the end of this article.


To understand and feel it even more, I recommend you to read this article while listening to the playlist I created for you. Play it in the background and I hope it'll inspire you, as it inspires me. Stay creative!


Inspiring playlists to listent to in the background when your read this story:




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DEVELOPING IDEA

January 2020

This is how it started as a simple ideaā€¦ It was my 4th month at Newcastle University. So far, the Fine Art course was open-minding for me, however not challenging. It was amazing to see so many passionate students. Everyday, I was surprised by what they did.


I finished 20 years, and I decided it was a great moment to create the best sculpture of the first 20 years of my life. Summary of the experience, skills and ideas I had so far. Before that I created a few sculptures that I liked, but none of them donā€™t fully reflected my imagination.


From the beginning, I planned to make it at least 3-4 metres tall. However, first I started with a small clay draft.


Lesson #1 It took me a few days to make this clay model. It was fantastic, the solid was changing with my thinking process. The thoughts become tangible. Now I see for sure that it was too short. The clay gave me a total freedom of changing the shape. However it required regular soaking. Unfortunately itā€™s not good for very small fingers.


February 2020

Then, I wanted to make it on a bigger scale. I draw shapes of my friends on a big piece of paper. I measured their bodies to design the skeleton inside. Each character needed 12 pieces of wood and some wire for fingers. The plan was to be able to change the details like arrangement of hands, so that they hold themselves.


Lesson #2 The first experiment was covered with big paper sheets. However it was difficult to change the shape and because of that the sicks inside were breaking, so I had to destroy it. It didnā€™t have the character I desired - slim body with gently visible muscles.


Lesson #3 The second one was much better. It was made of paper mache. The question was how to make dimples to expose the anatomical lines? Then a simple idea came to my mind. I was using strings and sticks to control the shape when the glue was still drying. Later I just removed them and the dimps stayed. I planned to make each character as a separate piece and ultimately hang them on the ceiling.


I also did these sketches. They helped me to organise the arrangement of all people. Following the suggestion of my studio tutor, I even started working on a large painting.


March 2020

Lesson #4 (quite dramatic haha) Everything was going great, I was working on this and other artworks, but... the coronavirus started. As most people, we had to leave our studios and abandon or postpone our projects.


I moved most of my artworks to my tiny room at student accommodation. Unfortunately, I had to destroy my first clay sculpture. However for the next few months the idea was evolving only in my mind. In the case of the life size one, I left it at university, and I thought it got lost. Just recently I heard that it was in one of the studios for a few more months, but now I don't know if it survived. Without any space and limited access to materials I decided to transfer my inspiration to something virtual instead -this is how BFreak Project started.


Lesson #5 I interrupted my studies for one year, a very good decision. I came back to Poland with some of my artworks and sketches.


It was a wonderful time, full of strong experiences, freedom of my mind and very diverse adventures:

šŸ‘‰Visiting 3 anatomy exhibitions (Berlin, Cracow, Wroclaw)

šŸ‘‰New artworks - materiality, surrealizm, portraits

šŸ‘‰Developing BFreak Project

šŸ‘‰Building a great time of creatives

šŸ‘‰I renew friendships and met new fantastic people

šŸ‘‰Created creative local group, meetings and events, outdoor painting

šŸ‘‰Designing creative online courses

šŸ‘‰Enjoying night walks and days of solitude with books and films

šŸ‘‰Organising Creative art workshops

šŸ‘‰Winning Oddysey of the Mind with my friends

šŸ‘‰Travelling - art galleries, mountains, later even festivals. Poland, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Lithuania



April 2021

Everything was going great, but I was lacking something. Again there were no challenges. One day, I came back to my idea of the sculpture in a flash of inspiration. I quickly dug out my sketches and immediately made preparations. Unfortunately I didn't have enough plasticine. I started anyway with whatever I had in my house to create a construction inside


I went to local shops in Poland to buy plasticine, but for some reason they didn't have enough. So I ordered 10 kilograms on the Internetā€¦ Meanwhile, I saved some material by filling the inside of the sculpture. I used paper sticks that I made a few years ago when I was working on a 2 metres high model of Eiffel Tower. (Another unfinished project hahah). It wasn't enough, but a few days later the plasticine arrived and I was ready to continue the work :D


10 kg of plasticine!!! I cut it into small pieces so that later it's much easier to put it on the construction and shape the idea. Btw, it was also very satisfying ^^


June 2021

More than a month later it looked like this. Still unfinished, however much better than the previous clay model.


September 2021

Again, I had to abandon my project. This time because I came back to England to continue my journey as a Fine Art student (and the sculpture was a little bit too big to fit it in the luggage haha) I left my dream life.


February 2022

My lovely parents sent the sculpture to Newcastle! With my favourite books and art materials šŸ„° I was so happy that the sculpture was in one piece! There were just little damages which needed just a few corrections. This time I told myself that this project has to be finished!


For the next few days I was sculpting this artwork like crazy... Piece by piece it was much closer to my vision and those feelings of high inspiration came back to my mind. Hour after hour, day after day it looks better and better. Proportions are quite tricky however a book that I got as a gift with anatomy for artists. In the past I was also studying the anatomy of my friends.


Most of the anatomy I've done is from my imagination. I'm very thankful to all the people who posed for me. Some of the positions are really challenging. Thank you for your time and patience.


Not all the models were alive. Iā€™ve visited 3 great anatomy exhibitions. Two of them were Body World Exhibitions, one in Berlin and one in Wrocław. I spent at both of them a few days drawing from the morning until closing. They were amazing, I really recommend visiting them. The other one was in Krakow in a building for medicine students. To be honest, it was much more creepy. You didnā€™t look at them as objects, but as real people. It took me 3 days until I was quite used to being in this room full of conserved people. The fear was replaced with admiration of this specific beauty. Here are a few of my drawings.


I was also using references from a book - Anatomy for artists. Hundreds of nude photographs and anatomical drawings. In the end I used photos of my own body. However I'm not going to include them here haha. By setting myself in the same positions I was able to arrange the people with more precision.


As you can see, most of the characters are very slim. This is because it's my sense of beauty - slim gentle bodies. They have some muscles. Right now I wish I had made them even more slim. We are all different. We have different tastes, humour, and ideas. If you are an artist, I have some advice for you. Create what you love. Because if you like it, other people will like it too.


14 February 2022

The sculpture was finished!



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VISION AND INSPIRATION


Have you ever asked yourself what your true potential is? In everyday life we limit ourselves. We accept the norms imposed by society. We are capable of accomplishing much greater things and live a much more exciting and creative life. Even with examples of the most outstanding geniuses (who I passionately admire) I believe it's also just a tiny part of our TRUE human potential.



The problem is that we are not fully aware of that. Our understanding of our own brains is still very little and even that basic awareness is not common in the whole society. We separate ourselves from geniuses and look at them as unusual individuals. After many years of my research I see that here's nothing unusual about them. It's just ourselves looking for excuses to avoid greatness. The truth is that each one of us, despite any obstacles, has the potential to become extremely creative and inspire the next generations. This is your choice what you will do with your potential.






I don't accept this blind indifference of society! I want to start a creative revolution! This sculpture was created to inspire people to reach their full potential. Even if we fail in this attempt, at least we will abandon this horrible blindness and we will start the journey.


When you look closely, you'll see that the people don't climb on each other, they are floating to the sky. They support and inspire each other. They donā€™t have any wings. Gravity doesnā€™t matter here. My imagination is not limited by the constraints of reality. You're neither, in your thoughts you have total freedom.




Each presented figure is the personification of forces that move humanity forward. Here you can see an artist, philosopher, inventor, scientist, educator, lover, dreamer.


Most of us are just dreamers. We only dream about things we desire and often we stay in this passive attitude. We admire those who change the world, but we sit idly by excusing ourselves with our illusory powerlessness. Unfortunately many of our dreams become forgotten as we grow older. This is why like the dreamer at the bottom of this sculpture, you have to stand up and go with a flow of inspiration like the people above.



Do you have feelings when you think nothing can stop you? How often? Those moments when you feel anything but just pure happiness? Essence of such a rare experience in our lives is represented in this sculpture. But does it have to be so rare? Not at all. You and only you are the factor it depends on. Any external stimuli is not necessary in these states of high inspiration. (I hope you know what I'm writing about. I have such moments a few times a month, however I was very surprised when I realised that some people never had such experience). Those moments are the best times to make changes in your life and as yourself who you are.



This sculpture is a bridge to your potential. On the other side there is pure happiness, extreme creativity and total freedom. It's a reminder that you as a human being are able to reach what for most people seems to be impossible. Whenever you will experience the darkest moments in your life, this artwork will aim to help you rediscover your life purpose.











I would like to give you an example of myself. I always set high ambitions, I do my best to inspire others and I try to be as creative or even more than those who I admire. However, sometimes I get lost. Sometimes I realise that my life is not true with my values. There are periods when I limit myself to fit the expectations of society. The idea of this sculpture came when I realised that I need to stay focused on my dreams. It reminds me who I was and who I want to be. This artwork connects my past and the future, so that I can stay focused in the present.






You might have times when you feel lost too. You might be highly motivated but life situations might force you to fight for survival. You might waste your time being afraid to live. This is why the sculpture is a gift for you and the rest of humanity. It's the reason why it's not just one original just for myself, but many casts for those who want to explore their true potential.


It's not about this specific artwork. It was just a few kilograms of plasticine and now each cast is a few kilograms of plaster. The IDEA is the real art here. The shape, material and colours might change. Each cast has its own little unique imperfections. But we all are also unique. Our imperfections make us special. More important are your dreams and the fact what you do with them.



I leave this artwork to your further interpretation. The only thing you should know is that there is no suffering, no pain, no hate, no violence, no fear. This sculpture is free from all the primitive behaviours, because those are the things that push us down. Here is only happiness, inspiration, transcendence, love and big dreamsā€¦ Stay inspired!




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CREATING A MOLD

Coming soon...





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EXHIBITION IN MARCH 2022

Thank you for this huge attendance! More pics coming soon!


If you have more videos and photos, please send all of them to me! j.stadnik1@newcastle.ac.uk Thank you so much!



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SPECIAL OFFER


There are 7 sculptures available for sale. I want to make sure that the sculpture will get only 7 people who really appreciate the vision and those who want to connect them with their own dreams. This is why I created this special offer:


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WHAT DO YOU SEE?


Please write in the comments what do you see when you look at this sculpture? We are all very different, this is why I'm very curious about your interpretation :) Look at the pictures above if you need to. Thank you!




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9 comentarios


When I first saw the sculpture, I saw people on the bottom helping the others reach the top, it had that inspiring vibe of teamwork. But when I looked once again, I saw that some of them kinda look like they're struggling to drag the top person down, and the top person is trying to reach their goal while struggling to not get pushed back

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What I see at this sculpture is tired people who's trying reach the top.

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Łukasz Muzyka
Łukasz Muzyka
10 may 2022

I'm really impressed the freedom, the will and the revolution exudes from these sculptures! When I look at those photos I have only one think: the challenging freedom. For me that symbolizes fighting for a better world and a better me! I also think that those sculptures are a lesson for us- we'll survive anything if we really want.

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a715z1a
10 may 2022

I can see that we as a people are all connected, we can't exist without each other, we growing together, need other people, going through similar emotions, and basically we all live the same life...

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Natalia Glo
Natalia Glo
08 may 2022

When I look at this sculpture I see a race. A metaphorical race which mamy attend but not many can suceed. They look tired and miserable even if they Reach the top. It can apply to many things, from power to fame to money. Things that a lot of people desire but it doesnt equal with happiness.

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