The reason I call this painting the Emotional Painting is because it has a big, black streak down the middle, symbolizing the hurt, and hatred and darkness that can lie beneath the happy, calm person on the outside. Yet the two shades of pink I used right next to the black streak symbolizes the love and friendship that always is close, even when you’re in your darkest hour. You might think that it’s sort of a dark thing for a 9-year-old to be thinking about, the darkness in someone’s heart, but it’s really not all that surprising to me. I mean, I’m sometimes one to point out problems that you can’t do much to fix, but this seems to be a common problem. I mean, our world isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Some people think it’s a Candyland with mostly happiness, which is true most of the time. But it can also be a horrible, dark place, like in times of war, or when your country or home is having trouble making a decision. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what the world really is. But step by step, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, you figure it out. I already have. It’s a place to find yourself. To see who you are. To just… Live. That’s what I think the purpose of life is.