THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF THE PINKY PROMISE PAINTING AS A REPRESENTATION OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

Abstract

The painting Pinky Promise (Kayla Amara Putri, 2024), a mixed-media artwork measuring 80x80 cm, represents childhood trauma through the symbolism of a broken pinky promise, originating from the artist's personal betrayal at home. Created via a systematic four- stage process preparation (introspective reflection on nonverbal memories), planning (conceptual s Visual elements, including the dangling pinky ribbon (shattered trust), crying eyes (suppressed grief), and chromatic love-pain duality, are analyzed through Agus TBR (2022) semiotics, MC Joseph (2018) color therapy, and Kurnia (2021) psychological abstraction, philosophizing innocence's fragility. The work conveys an ethical message: honor promises to avert long-term harm and promote openness about abuses, offering therapeutic insights for artists and trauma survivors. ketching of symbols like frayed ribbons and weeping eyes), realization (layered execution with pink-red gradients and erratic strokes), and presentation (gallery exhibition) it aligns with Van der Kolk's (2015) somatic trauma theory and Antonia's (2023) sublimation model.