"I saw The Winter Between Us and something inside me broke open. It was like watching my marriage from outside, polite, functional, lifeless. I had called that calm “love,” but it was distance dressed as devotion. That night I sat next to my husband and whispered, “When did we stop turning toward each other?” He didn’t answer, but he looked at me for the first time in years. The next morning he made coffee and brushed my hand."
— ELENA
“I’m a therapist. I help people speak their truth, yet I’ve hidden behind professionalism my whole life. When I saw this image, I felt every time I chose composure instead of honesty. I sent it to my ex and wrote, “I wanted to be warm with you, not right.” She replied, “I know.” I cried in my office and walked home in the rain. For the first time, I let myself be unguarded, and it felt like breathing.”
— NOAH
"I used to think love meant staying no matter how cold it got. I called that strength. This artwork showed me it was fear. I realized I’d been performing love instead of feeling it. I called my boyfriend and said, “I need warmth, not proof.” He didn’t understand, and that’s okay. I moved in with my sister and filled the house with blankets, light, and noise. For the first time, I wake up warm.”
— AVA
“My parents were quiet people, no fights, no touch. I grew up thinking stillness was safety. When I saw this piece, I saw us. That distance, that politeness, it’s what I passed down. I sent it to my daughter and wrote, “This is how I learned love.” We met for dinner and hugged until we both cried. The winter between us isn’t gone yet, but it’s melting..”
— MARCO
