Ego or identity label of Manny Hernandez
Mixed Media on Wood
12″ x 18″
2014
[I Am] Series
SOLD
An Advocate portrays the internal force that fuels positive change when you stand up for what you believe in. [I Am] an Advocate was in big part inspired by a beautiful photo of Manuel taken by Cody and Natalie Gantz in Santo Domingo, DR in 2013.
Manuel writes:
“I used to be comfortable. I used to have a comfortable life where I didn’t question things too much outside of the context of what I got paid to do (…) I ended up in that place. It was a shallow place. I didn’t have an incentive to prompt me to stand up and do something different: that can easily be the case when you are making a decent living. You may not feel a need to change it. Then things happened that challenged me: I faced layoffs (3 times), I felt fragility. I was diagnosed with a chronic condition (diabetes) that made me feel appreciation and respect for the things my body used to be able to do by itself, which I now had to supplement. I became a parent in 2003. I lost my father in 2005. I was once again making a decent living, but something inside felt restless this time around. I was a different person.
In 2006, my life took a big turn when I met others with diabetes for the first time, and I realized the power of community… I realized I had become an advocate! Today, I don’t feel afraid: I feel an urge, a need to push for the things I believe in. I need to speak up, to not sit back in the face of things that I disagree with, wherever they may be happening.”
