Vaadia stresses that the maturity of his current work is necessarily imbued with the sensibilities of his childhood, that the only way to be spiritually and professionally successful is to be in tune with oneself, to respect and honor the personal truths that guide our interactions in the world. In 1984, when he completed his first figural sculpture, he named it Adam - not as an overt religious connotation, but an instinctive nod to his homeland. After that he named figures based on which cousin or friend happened to be crashing on his couch at the time (there were many in those early years). Only later, at a gallery opening, did someone ask him why all of his figures had Biblical names. Vaadia says he was shocked to discover that he'd done this; his subliminal connection to Israel had emerged through naming. As with all things he feels to be true to his art, he decided to honor this coincidence, and continues to give his sculptures Biblical names.