At the far edge of the city stood a modest little house, simple, quiet, and unassuming. Inside, everything spoke of a life lived by just one or two people. The rooms were neat but bare, touched by the calm beauty of minimalism. There was only a small kitchen, two modest rooms, a cozy living area, and a single bathroom, nothing more, nothing less.
That night, in one of those rooms, beside a narrow single bed, a woman sat by a wooden table, lost in her art. The soft moonlight streaming through the window brushed against her canvas, making the colors shimmer gently as if the night itself had come alive within her painting.
This scene feels like a vivid urban painting brought to life, a narrow alleyway transformed into an open-air gallery of color, emotion, and chaos.
On the left wall, a mural bursts with energy, a red vintage car speeding through a dreamlike cityscape under a sky streaked with smoky clouds. Cartoonish figures ride in the car, their exaggerated shapes and playful tones creating a whimsical contrast to the gritty concrete beneath them. The buildings in the mural stretch upward like memories of a bustling metropolis, painted with soft pastels and fading browns that hint at time and wear.
Opposite it, the right wall stands in stark contrast, darker, moodier, and raw. Faces emerge from the cracked blue paint, their expressions both haunting and soulful. Giant paw prints climb up the surface, as if marking the territory of forgotten stories. Between them, faint words and abstract figures whisper the language of rebellion, creativity, and freedom.
The alley itself, empty and stretching into the distance, feels like the vanishing point of a dream. The rough textures of concrete and peeling paint give the scene a tangible realism, while the art on both sides transforms it into something surreal, almost poetic.
It's as if the walls themselves breathe — one side shouting joy and movement, the other murmuring sorrow and memory — meeting in a silent harmony that only street art can create.
Although the painting had turned out beautifully, for some reason, the woman suddenly stared at it and tore it apart with a mix of anger and sorrow.
"This is useless!" she cried, ripping apart the creation she had poured her heart and effort into with her own hands. "All of this… it's worthless!"
Rising to her feet, she looked around the room, her eyes filled with both frustration and sadness, and exclaimed, "Was all of this just a waste of time?!"
"These pens, crayons, sketches, paintings… is it all meaningless?! Does it lead to nothing?! Nothing of value at all?!! An artistic mind, gifted hands, talent… it's all useless!"
"In a world like this, maybe I'm doomed to be stuck forever, just making these useless paintings!"
"The world runs only on money! Only money!"
And then, overcome with grief, she sank to her knees in the solitude of her room, crying as if she had lost everything.
This is Carissa. She is 28 years old and currently unemployed. Apart from creating her art, she occasionally takes on odd jobs here and there to earn a little money. Even this small house isn't hers, it belongs to her sister.
Her name is Madeline. She is a deeply supportive eldest sister, in the family and a very responsible one. Their parents have only these two daughters, who moved to a distant city in search of work and to earn a living. If their parents were living here, managing the budget would be tough, feeding and maintaining four people in a big, first-tier city would be challenging. Besides, their parents already own a house twice the size of this small one in the village, along with a farm.
So here's the situation: even back in the village, their family had struggled to make ends meet. To improve their circumstances and ensure their daughters didn't remain confined to the village, so they could grow and build a future, their parents had sent them to live with relatives in the city since childhood. Somehow, their childhood passed, but now, having grown up, they could no longer stay with those relatives obviously. That's why they bought this small house to live independently.
Madeline is managing reasonably well, she works in customer care, and with her income, they somehow get through the month. But Carissa's situation is far more difficult.
Even now, she sat in tears, gazing around her room once more. Ever since she was just two years old, everyone had called her a gifted child, constantly praising the beauty of her paintings. Even after moving to the city, away from her parents, she had earned numerous awards, certificates, and medals at both school and academy—prizes she still kept carefully displayed. Yet today, all of it felt meaningless to her.
Carissa simply sits there, holding her hair, lost in her own world.
By the way in terms of appearance, she's just an average girl, straight brunette hair, dark brown eyes, around 5'5" tall, with a medium almond skin tone and cool undertones. She wears glasses and isn't particularly outgoing or social.
A little while later, her elder sister Madeline finally arrived. Using the spare key, she entered the house and, seeing Carissa, realized what had happened.
"Carissa!" she exclaimed, rushing to her side and steadying her. "What on earth are you doing, sitting here looking like a ghost?!"
"And what is all this? You've turned the entire room upside down! Have you lost your mind? Or is this another one of your episodes?!"
As always, Carissa pressed her head against her sister and began to cry like a child.
"My last piece isn't even finished yet! I was supposed to submit it by the end of the month, and I still have no idea what to do!" she sobbed, her voice heavy with sadness and frustration. "What am I even supposed to do… ughh!"
Madeline said, "What are you talking about?! You spend all day and night working on this! You keep at it through the nights! I do my night shift, and when I come to check on you, instead of sleeping, you're still at your art! And it's still not finished?!"
Carissa looked at her with a serious expression. "Maddy… tell me the truth—am I a burden to you?"
"I've been sitting here, doing nothing, calling it passion, mindlessly creating all this mess like a fool! You've had to work overtime night shifts because of expenses! But… I've finally, finally made up my mind. From now on, I'm giving all this up. I'll start applying for permanent art teacher positions at any art school, college, or university, and go for the interviews! Yes!"
"But I won't just sit around doing nothing at home anymore!"
"Have you lost your mind again?!" Madeline exclaimed, looking at her, her face a mix of love and frustration. "One moment it's this, the next it's that!"
"And yes, I know you can't earn much from this, but that doesn't mean you're completely useless or unemployed, does it?!"
"You're one of those rare people who get to pursue their passion in reality, not just in dreams! So many others have to give up their passions for one reason or another, but you're lucky. You're not only gifted in your art, but you're also able to earn a decent living from it!"
"Don't worry about what others think! Follow your heart and do what makes you happy, which is exactly what you're doing: creating art! You're not just one of the best artists in this city, but in the world. Just look at your social media, so many likes, shares, comments, and people from all over supporting you!"
Carissa replied, "What's the point of all that support if no one actually buys my art?!"