December 1988. I’m 15 years old. And that Christmas, my life changes forever.

I unwrap my very first guitar. Black. Raw. Almost intimidating. My little amplifier looks like army gear, full camouflage, as if I’m already gearing up for battle. And in my head, there’s only one obsession: learning One.

In our yellow Sony Walkman, the song plays on repeat. One is more than a song… It’s a shockwave. A rush. A scream. The kind of track that crawls up your spine and shapes you into a true metalhead.

James Hetfield’s voice… Powerful, gritty, unwavering. I swear the more I listened, the longer my hair grew. The more I stood tall. The more I became me.

That black guitar was the beginning of a love story that’s been alive for nearly 40 years. And today, through this Art in Six Strings project, I honor it. That moment where everything started. That song that gave me an identity. And that Metallica shock that still hits me every time the first notes of One explode in the air.