01/06/2026
Life is a painting project. And YOU are the painter.
By Poni Abraham
31 May || 2026
Juba, South Sudan _ I am a woman of many identities; one of which is “A painter”!
So apparently, while other pregnant women crave nice food or nice smells… I craved painting. 😅
I don’t know at point I became an "expert painter," but I remember how it started: During my pregnancy, last trimester. First I was obsessed with painting my nails, then my face, then somehow… walls. Yes, WALLS. I spent months painting my entire house like a woman possessed.
That madness turned into a hobby, then a "skill" (or whatever we call it). Ever since, I’ve been the family painter every Christmas or big event. Ask anyone who’s lived with me 😂
Fast forward to now: I’ve been painting our house in Yei. Painting Inside the fence was Peaceful! Just me, loud music, and my brush. No interruptions. No opinions. My introverted self was the happiest😊!
Then this morning, I moved outside to paint the gate and wall. And since the gate opens to a busy shortcut, every passerby had their necks tilted to one direction “A woman painting” And baby… the moment a woman does a "man’s job" in public? The street becomes a parliament. 🏛️
Two men passed, and one of them said to me, "Mobruk yaa binia” but the other quietly mumbled “hmm, a beautiful girl now doing male jobs. The economy must have hit her really hard"😂
Then One mama passed, “Great work, my child! This is why we send girls to school, look at you now, an engineer!" (I wanted to tell her I’m not an Engineer, but she already decreed, who am I to reject the prophecy😅? I smiled, God bless her.)
Then three other women walked by: "This is why you need male children. Look at her suffering." This should have been done by a boy😳!
The other added: "She doesn’t even look married. A husband wouldn't allow this." 😂
Meanwhile, children just stood there fascinated, like I was performing magic. Honestly? They were my favorite audience.
Now, my experience today, has taught me alot, but I want to start with Lessons from my life as a painter;
1️⃣ You can turn anything into something beautiful: Painting is literal magic, When you see the “Before” and “After” you’ll understand that the transformation that comes with painting is Magically beautiful😍!
▶️You can turn your life into whatever you envision…
2️⃣ Trust the process. Mixing colors gets UGLY before it gets gorgeous. Wet paint lies. Paint layers clash. But wait. The final result will shock you.
▶️When life gets confusing or complicated, trust the process!
3️⃣ Relax your hand. The fastest way to ruin a painting is to grip the brush like your life depends on it. To much pressure on the hand destroys the art!
▶️Same with life. Just breathe and let instinct lead.
Now, today’s special lessons:
1️⃣ People can’t disrupt what they don’t know: When I was painting inside the fence, no one saw me, so no one had anything to say. but as soon as I came outside, I was exposed to public opinion. Suddenly, everyone had something to say. If you want to progress, keep your moves private. Your journey will be smoother that way.
2️⃣ Everyone will have an opinion over what you do, focus on your goal, don’t let the voices derail you. Now imagine if I had stopped to listen to all the shenanigans…?
3️⃣I am a woman of many identities; one of which is “A painter”!
So apparently, while other pregnant women crave nice food or nice smells… I craved painting. 😅
I don’t know at point I became an "expert painter," but I remember how it started: During my pregnancy, last trimester. First I was obsessed with painting my nails, then my face, then somehow… walls. Yes, WALLS. I spent months painting my entire house like a woman possessed.
That madness turned into a hobby, then a "skill" (or whatever we call it). Ever since, I’ve been the family painter every Christmas or big event. Ask anyone who’s lived with me 😂
Fast forward to now: I’ve been painting our house in Yei. Painting Inside the fence was Peaceful! Just me, loud music, and my brush. No interruptions. No opinions. My introverted self was the happiest😊!
Then this morning, I moved outside to paint the gate and wall. And since the gate opens to a busy shortcut, every passerby had their necks tilted to one direction “A woman painting” And baby… the moment a woman does a "man’s job" in public? The street becomes a parliament. 🏛️
Two men passed, and one of them said to me, "Mobruk yaa binia” but the other quietly mumbled “hmm, a beautiful girl now doing male jobs. The economy must have hit her really hard"😂
Then One mama passed, “Great work, my child! This is why we send girls to school, look at you now, an engineer!" (I wanted to tell her I’m not an Engineer, but she already decreed, who am I to reject the prophecy😅? I smiled, God bless her.)
Then three other women walked by: "This is why you need male children. Look at her suffering." This should have been done by a boy😳!
The other added: "She doesn’t even look married. A husband wouldn't allow this." 😂
Meanwhile, children just stood there fascinated, like I was performing magic. Honestly? They were my favorite audience.
Now, my experience today, has taught me alot, but I want to start with Lessons from my life as a painter;
1️⃣ You can turn anything into something beautiful: Painting is literal magic, When you see the “Before” and “After” you’ll understand that the transformation that comes with painting is Magically beautiful😍!
▶️You can turn your life into whatever you envision…
2️⃣ Trust the process. Mixing colors gets UGLY before it gets gorgeous. Wet paint lies. Paint layers clash. But wait. The final result will shock you.
▶️When life gets confusing or complicated, trust the process!
3️⃣ Relax your hand. The fastest way to ruin a painting is to grip the brush like your life depends on it. To much pressure on the hand destroys the art!
▶️Same with life. Just breathe and let instinct lead.
Now, today’s special lessons:
1️⃣ People can’t disrupt what they don’t know: When I was painting inside the fence, no one saw me, so no one had anything to say. but as soon as I came outside, I was exposed to public opinion. Suddenly, everyone had something to say. If you want to progress, keep your moves private. Your journey will be smoother that way.
2️⃣ Everyone will have an opinion over what you do, focus on your goal, don’t let the voices derail you. Now imagine if I had stopped to listen to all the shenanigans…?
3️⃣ Life is a painting project. And YOU are the painter.Stop waiting for someone else to pick up your brush. Pick it up and do with it whatever you want!
I don’t know why I wrote all this, or why you read to the end… but if you did, I hope it was worthwhile.
Now go paint something; a wall, a dream, or just your nails.😉
Have a great night fam. ❤️
I don’t know why I wrote all this, or why you read to the end… but if you did, I hope it was worthwhile.
Now go paint something; a wall, a dream, or just your nails.😉
Have a great night fam. ❤️
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