Yes, it did. I became less concerned with the aesthetic per se and more concerned with where the image came from. So instead of deciding that I want an image to look a certain way, I started to sit quietly and meditate about a certain issue I wanted to resolve. Invariably, the work that comes from the deepest places is the most magnificent. Whether that is a place of great joy, or a place of great pain, it doesn't matter.
Surprising things happen.
I always envision my art coming out of my belly. Then you went to mask making. Well, I've always been very moved by the power and symbolism of masks. When it came to a way of expressing deep emotions of trauma, the mask was an absolutely perfect medium. I thought about the hundreds of thousands of masks which we all wear in order to survive to get along in the world.