"SMELL THY ROSES" IS A REFLECTION ON PAUSE, PRESENCE, AND THE POWER OF SELF-RECOGNITION.

It challenges the belief that rest and celebration must be earned, especially within Black communities.

This piece was born from a conversation with a friend who bluntly told me, “You never credit yourself. If I listed all your accomplishments, you’d say thank you and push past it.” That stuck with me. Growing up in Nigeria, only the big achievements were rewarded. Over time, that mindset shapes how you move through the world. You get so conditioned to constantly chasing the next goal that you forget to pause and appreciate your present accomplishment.

“Smell Thy Roses” is my response to that. It’s a call to action to myself and others to look within. To use our noses to enjoy the roses while we’re still here, literally and metaphorically.

In the piece, the subject is grounded in the moment. They’re harmoniously in tune with themselves and the earth in a state of rest. It serves as a reminder to appreciate the ordinary. To celebrate and reward the small victories, even if it’s just with a small moment of self-soothing. To stop and smell flowers, walk barefoot in the grass, feel the sand beneath your feet. These fleeting moments we take for granted mirror the bloom of a rose: brief, beautiful, and full of life.

In a time when rest is political and joy is resistance, this work asks: What if we saw the present as sacred? What if we celebrated the now, not just what’s next?

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