The Unsent Project by Röra Blue depicts painful and unspoken words from former lovers. These small text messages expose unsaid feelings, joyful memories, and tender nostalgia.

Röra Blue explains the project’s parameters on her site: “State your first lover’s name and type what you would say if you sent them a text message. Also include the color that you think of when you think of your first love.”

The artist and blogger received over 25,000 proposals on Instagram! Blue then created a vibrant college of selected submissions. The Unsent Project brings to light people's longing for past lovers and is “a conceptual and hypothetical release for the heartbroken soul.”

Out of fear of rejection or fear of exposing our hearts, many of us have deleted those raw messages to lovers. I vividly remember my heartbroken unsent text messages, and I am so thankful they remain unsent. I am fortunate enough to have friends who always have my back and tell me that sending these painful messages will only cause more hurt and heartache.

Do you ever think about the first time you met someone, and then compare it to where you two are now? Most of the time, I think “Wow. Who knew this would happen.”

Maybe you knew you weren’t good for each other, but you both just hoped everything would work out for the best. Sometimes you know a relationship has a clear ending point, and getting past this idea and living in the moment will be extremely difficult.

Some relationships can give you a unique retrospective view that not many other things have the capability of doing. You will lose that relationship, but you will not lose that person. The memories you have shared will always be with you, for better or worse.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that the end of a relationship does not mean the end of the world. I learned not to put my self-worth into another person and not to rely on them for happiness. These may seem like obvious points, but sometimes we get so caught up in relationships we forget who we are and what we are striving for. I always tell myself to “look forward to something that isn’t a person.” Invest in yourself.

I became self-reliant and discovered so many things about myself in the process. I pushed myself to new accomplishments and experienced life in a different way. Now I understand that being in a relationship does not mean forgetting about myself in the process.