Blunck here! Richard Blunck. So today was just a regular day: art school in the morning, being misunderstood at night. I find it hard to live in Berlin during such a culturally innovative and fast paced time. A young 20 something year old, I feel as though sometimes it is too late for me to truly express myself. My parents are the ones who got me into art in the first place; however, like many other residents in Berlin, they always fall and lean in more to the trends. . . like the New Objectivity movement.s. Growing up, I often felt the weight of my parents’ expectations and the need to live up to their success. There was an underlying tension between my desire to forge his own path and the desire to fulfill my family’s hopes for me. As its name suggests, this movement offered a return to unsentimental reality and a focus on the objective world, as opposed to the more abstract, romantic, or idealistic tendencies of Expressionism. It was a complete challenge to Expressionism– therefore me and my parents had opposing views. I guess you could say that I’m a naive architecture student (no matter how many times I deny myself), eager to make my mark on the world. But as I delved deeper into the heart of the city, I soon discovered that beneath its glamorous facade, Berlin harbored secrets and shadows that would shape the course of my life. As I look in the mirror I see Otto Dix’s self-portrait in my reflection. Maybe tomorrow I can come a little closer to breaking down my boundaries and letting the inner artist shine through.