Gemotions

The air in Leo’s studio was thick with the scent of turpentine and regret. He’d burned most of his recent canvases, a bonfire of frustration. Sales were down, and his last review had been brutal. He felt a pervasive sense of… discouragement. He was trapped in this cycle.

His phone buzzed. It was a message from a local tattoo artist. “Hey, Leo, someone just came in wanting your design on their arm. Thought you’d want to see it.” Attached was a photo.

He scrolled through the image, his face hardening. A woman's arm, bearing the exact likeness of his 'Lost Souls' series – a series he’d abandoned as a failure. A sick, hollow feeling filled him.

He felt a deep, twisting, resentment. He felt, for the first time in his life, utterly defeated.