“The Struggle is Real” is a visual metaphor for the inner struggle that many people have with themselves and the expectations of society. In a surreal scene on the beach, a person is depicted crawling out of a shell - a symbolic act of standing up for oneself, of freeing oneself from one's comfort zone. In the background, this movement is repeated in different variations, emphasizing the universal and cyclical nature of these inner struggles.
The creation of the work was characterized by an intensive examination of psychological stresses such as panic disorders and the fear of failure that many people experience in our performance-oriented society. The shell becomes a visual allegory for the protective shield behind which many withdraw - and at the same time for the barrier that must be overcome.
The repeated figures in the background reflect the arduous and often recurring process of overcoming oneself.
