What is liminality? It means “of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition; in-between, transitional.” It comes from the Latin, limen, meaning threshold. Liminality then, is an in-between state of being, a transition area or space between one state and another. It is often felt to be a strange, ambiguous, or paradoxical state of being because traditional norms and rules may not apply. For some people that is a good thing because it can lead to new insights or creativity. New things emerge.
For most people, liminality is uncomfortable. They like to be in circumstance A or B, not between A and B, and certainly not between A and B for an extended period of time. But when I reflect on my life and work, I find myself pleasantly locked into liminality. I say pleasantly because for me, it is a wonderful space to experiment, learn, and create. But to some that makes me a troublemaker. I may as well own it!
The images below show some of my liminalities:
It seems that for me, liminality is my permanent state, not a transitional state. I am always in-between. It is my circumstance, due also in part to my mixed race. But it is also my choice. My life is an ambiguous and paradoxical transitional period. I am a liminal person, neither here nor there. Are you like me?
While liminality is my comfort zone of existence, it can be a zone of confusion for those who follow me and my work. My professional standing is ambiguous or undefinable, and thus at times I am seen as a troublemaker or dangerous due to a perception of unpredictability.
People seem unsure of what to make of me. If that is true for you, then just focus on my work; my creative output. For it is within liminality that many different ideas come together to create new ideas that I am sure you will find interesting and helpful.