Chapter 6
New Wings
Feb 2026 | Paintings 33-35 in My 100 Dresses
About
The Story
After a year-long pause from painting 100 women in dresses, the story of Chapter 6, New Wings, is finally ready to be told. This chapter shares the journey of shedding the costumes we wear in the name of fitting in, finding our own unique wings in the process of self-discovery, and finally experiencing the freedom of embracing who we were always meant to be. Inspired by my own journey of working through performance & perfectionism, my hope is that this series will help others find their own unique wings, as well as the courage to use them.
"The Gift of Wings"
The Poem
The Gift of Wings
I yearned for freedom
so I looked up,
up to the moon, the sky, the birds.
They fly so effortlessly, I thought.
Not that flying is effortless,
but that their effort is unbothered
by all the things us humans
tend to think need fixing.
They don’t seem to care
that their bellies are far too round
compared to the thinness of their legs,
nor do they apologize
for having feathers when we all know
fingers are much more practical.
The jaguar is arguably more sensual
and the elephant is a hundred times bigger,
yet this doesn’t seem to keep
a single bird from flying.
And I wonder if true freedom
looks like spending less time fixing
all the things that are missing
and more time using
the wings we’ve been given.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
"Hidden Brilliance"
The Poem
Hidden Brilliance
No one has ever wished
for the hummingbird
to be more like the eagle.
So perhaps the things about ourselves that
we fear are too small,
or too colorful
or too soft
or too bizarre
might also be the very brilliance
this world has been searching for.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
"New Horizons"
The Poem
New Horizons
The scariest part about growing new wings
is the day when you must finally use them.
Will they carry you?
Will they betray you?
It’s the day when you find yourself looking over the cliff’s edge,
legs shaking,
fear begging you to turn back,
to cling to the safety of what is familiar.
But louder still
your heart cries for freedom,
the freedom of finally leaping,
surrendered
and resolute,
into the wild, unknown horizon
that calls you by name.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
A Note
from the Artist
Thank you for taking the time to experience Chapter 6, New Wings! This collection was inspired by my own journey through perfectionism and performance. In 2025, I realized these two costumes had become like a second skin, quietly dictating every part of my life. If you have walked a similar journey, you know how heavy performance & perfectionism can be. So I began the long process of removing these layers, asking who I was when no one was watching. And slowly, gently, I discovered a pair of wings that were hiding under these layers all along. It's not a one-and-done healing process, but each day I choose to leave the costumes at home, I find myself lighter, and perhaps, a bit braver, too. When we choose to love who God made us to be, quirks and all, there is a weightlessness that can feel a bit like flying; terrifying at first, but wilder and freer than we could ever imagine.
- Andrea Jacobsen
Before You Go...
I would love to hear from you! Leave me a note about your story and experience with “New Wings.”
All my love,
Andrea
