Fidelina Y Los Barquitos was inspired by the poem “Paper Boats” written by an Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore. After reading this poem, I felt an instant connection to it. One of the most important lessons that my mother and family have taught me is to enjoy every bit of life and not waste a second of it. To this day, I find joy in the most simpliest of things, and it has made me a better person. It was very important for me to be able to showcase the feeling of joy and happiness through something simple and non materialistic. I also thought it was necessary to share my Salvadorian roots with my peers. This is how my story started to develop. Fidelina, my character was named after my great grandmother who was a strong figure in our family. My character's fascination with paper boats displays her innocent heart and how she finds true happiness in playing with her toy boats. When I first shared the idea with my mom and uncle, they both joyfully spoke of their memories playing with their paper boats. Seeing their reaction reassured my decision to use this story line. I hope Fidelina's story will bring you peace and happiness, just as she found it through her paper boats.
This story is meant to be a remind everyone that we all have the ability to find happiness, we just have to open our hearts to life’s simplicities. I’d like to thank God for giving me my strength, to my beautiful mother, who made me the person I am today, my loved ones for their support and the instructors for strengthening my ability to express myself as an artist.
