Through the cracks and layers, I remind myself. I'm Ok.

About

Ime Oka was born during my fight with cancer, a whispered mantra became a lifeline and a mission. "I'm Ok" started in a chemo chair and is now an abstract exploration of breaking, rebuilding, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going

More about my journey

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This piece came together unexpectedly. I had this idea floating around—wanting people to write on a canvas and share their own stories—but I wasn’t exactly sure how to bring it to life. So I called @justinegiorart , who’s been a huge guide for me in this art world. I explained the concept, and with a bit of hesitation, asked if she’d ever consider letting me use one of her pieces as the base. To my surprise, she gave me an enthusiastic yes. Over the next few weeks, Hopes, Dreams, and Fears started to take shape. We set up the piece at the Fishtown Music & Arts Festival and invited passersby’s to contribute. It was powerful watching the reactions—some too shy to share a fear, others bold enough to bare their soul. But each one left a little piece of themselves behind.

#HopesDreamsAndFears #CollaborativeArt #InteractiveArt #StoryDrivenArt #ArtWithHeart #heartwork #FishtownArtsFestival #ArtThatConnects #VulnerableArt #ArtCollab #JustineGiordano #ImeOka #LeaveYourMark #ConcreteStories #ArtThatHeals #EmotionalArt #ArtCommunity #UnexpectedArt #ShareYourStory #ArtThatSpeaks #creativejourney #imok

Part 4of4: We try to hide the deepest parts of ourselves but they don’t stay hidden for long. Even beneath layers of protection,
truth finds its way back to the surface. And maybe that’s the most honest thing we can do, let the world see us… just enough.

#HopesDreamsAndFears #EmotionalArt #InteractiveArt #HiddenTruths #VulnerableArt #JustEnough #ArtWithMeaning #LayersOfSelf #LetTheWorldSeeYou #JustineGiordano #ImeOka #FishtownArtsFestival #ArtThatHeals #ConcreteStories #BeneathTheSurface #creativejourney #abstractart #anxiety #heartwork #mentalhealth #artwithlayers #buriedfeelings #imok

Part 3of4: Some things are too tender to leave exposed. So we cover them—not to erase, but to protect.What’s buried isn’t forgotten. It’s still here. Still ours. Just beneath the surface.

#HopesDreamsAndFears #JustBeneathTheSurface #EmotionalArt #StillHere #InteractiveArt #JustineGiordano #ImeOka #creativejourney #abstractart #heartwork #anxiety #mentalhealth #artwithlayers #concreteart #buriedfeelings #imok

Part 2 of 4: We all want to feel understood. To share something honest. To know we’re not alone in what we carry. Some came with hope. Some with fear. All left a part of themselves behind.

Painting by: @justinegiorart

#HopesDreamsAndFears #SharedStories #CollectiveHonesty #InteractiveArt #EmotionalArt #justinegiorart #ImeOka #artwithlayers #imok #hopes #dreams #fears #heartwork #creativejourney #mentalhealthawareness

Part 1 of 4: Not quite blank.
Not quite finished.
It was never meant to stay untouched.
Something was waiting to be heard.

Painting by: @justinegiorart

#HopesDreamsAndFears #TheBeginning #ArtWithLayers #WhatLiesBeneath #JustineGiordano #ImeOka #imok

Two months ago, @justinegiorart and I brought a canvas to the @fishtownmusicandarts and asked people to share something real:
their hopes,
their dreams,
their fears.

What followed was unexpected, emotional, and deeply human.

This is just the beginning.

Over the next few videos, we’ll take you through the journey—layer by layer.

Also a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by and shared a piece of themselves with us.

#HopesDreamsAndFears #ArtThatConnects #FishtownFestival #InteractiveArt #imok #JustineGiordano #imeoka #creativejourney #heartwork #healingthroughart

After my kids painted their pieces, I didn’t plan to ask anyone else to paint. But then my niece picked up a brush.

She’s starting a new school next year—new building, new people, new unknowns. She painted the first layer of this piece. And I watched her do what most of us are scared to do: she just began. No overthinking. No hesitation. Just movement, curiosity, and color.

It made me pause. She’s not the only one facing change right now. Other family members are starting at new schools. One’s heading to college. Parents are learning what life feels like with a quieter house. Some of us are even wondering if it’s time for a new career or chapter entirely.

Everyone seems to be standing at the edge of something unfamiliar. And I realized—we don’t grow because the future is certain. We grow because it’s not.

This piece isn’t really about what’s next. It’s about the space in between—the tension, the waiting, the quiet hope—that shapes us into who we’re meant to be.

The unknown doesn’t just reveal us. It builds us. And it’s inspired me to keep opening up the early stages of these pieces—to invite others in, to start together, even when we don’t know where it’s going. Because the beginning doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be shared.

Ime Oka
“Loading…”
24x24
2025

*SOLD

#imeoka #abstractart #creativejourney #loading #concreteart #intotheunknown #future #unknownfuture #enjoythejourney #imok

Part 4of 4: Maybe the unknown was never the enemy. Maybe it’s where we learn, break, rebuild, and begin again. I’m not finished. I’m just becoming.

#imeoka #creativejourney #abstractart #unknownfuture #futureisbright #enjoythejourney #loading #imok

Part 3 of 4: The pressure builds. You thought you were ready, but now the silence is loud and the air feels tight. This is where we question everything.

#imeoka #creativejourney #selfdoubt #abstractart #concreteart #unknownfuture #future #unknown #imok

You prepare, you plan, but doubt still finds a way in. The unknown isn’t always beautiful—it’s also heavy.

#imeoka #creativejourney #abstractart #unknownfuture #imok

Part 1 of 4: In the beginning, it’s all light and wonder. Possibility stretches endlessly ahead. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

#imeoka #abstractart #creativejourney #concreteart #loveart #unknownfuture #future #loading #emergingartist #imok

It always starts like this—quiet, still, full of potential. I don’t know where this is going yet, and maybe that’s the point. The unknown can be scary… but also kind of beautiful. Here’s to the first step.

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