Going into this project, I was not expecting to find myself running into as many obstacles as I did! My task seemed simple; I was to showcase myself using small snippets out of a magazine. Just one day into my work, however, I found myself struggling to realistically match my skin tone and hair color. On top of that, I quickly learned that shadowing and blending is not as easy as it seems! I took these obstacles that I encountered and took note of changes that I would have made if I ever received a chance to start over. First of all, there were many creative ways to work with the materials that I was given. This project was not assigned to look perfect, but more or less to showcase me and my definitive characteristics. I wanted to make my face as true to myself as possible. Going through many major events in life that deteriorated my self esteem, I wanted to portray myself as natural, real, and happy. Since I was a little girl, I have always received compliments on my blue eyes. Because of this, I knew that I wanted to find that perfect blue tone to really soften my expression altogether. When my art class took the first couple days of this assignment asking ourselves what we would want to showcase in a portrait of ourselves, I knew right away that I wanted to incorporate my strong faith. I created my background with a collage and collection of songs and prayers out of my hymnal that I have developed a strong connection to throughout my years spent worshiping in a Lutheran Church. I added flowers to these black and white pages in order to not only add vivid bursts of color, but also subtly portray my eye and acceptance of delicate, “little things” in life.
I feel as though self portraits are essential toward one’s true understanding of themselves. I would have never been able to depict tiny details about my character without this opportunity to creatively and artistically present myself on paper. This project allowed me to look deeper into my likes, my insecurities, and my traits, and it allowed me to embrace them in a purely meaningful and intentional way. I make my art in order to tell a story and address meaning that falls farther beyond the surface. I strive to be a role model and constant confidant for anyone that is in need of those things. Through my artwork, I hope to not only showcase who I am in order to inspire others to continue to be themselves, but I also hope to continue to create pieces that encourage others to tell their stories.
"Imperfection is Epitome of self identity. Be original. Be you." - Priyanka Rathi
Real Anatomy of Technology
When I began thinking about the piece of human anatomy I would like to showcase in this piece, I immediately determined I wanted to draw a human eye. I used vibrant blues and greens in the iris in order to enliven this piece with brilliant color. I chose the human eye, itself, because it allows us to identify everything, especially changes in the world. More specifically, the eye is the one thing that has physically and literally allowed us to see the effects of technology, and how it has grown and developed over time. I struggled to find a piece of technology that I wanted to incorporate amidst the eye. Eventually, I realized the intentions of many people’s social media accounts today. Many people wish to portray themselves to the world in the most “picturesque” way possible; Plenty of people fail to pause and be present in the moment. After recognizing this idea of how we fail to live in the moment, I decided that I wanted to incorporate a camera in my piece. I showed the veins coming out of the camera through different types of connectors and adaptors. I hoped to symbolize the blood, or “life” of the eye coming from the camera itself. By placing the pupil of the eye within the camera lens, I did my best to showcase the idea that many moments in life are not just an experience of the human eye. Human presence is not alway acceptable nowadays, and instead, beautiful moments must be captured and documented as if to almost prove their existence. I felt as though the camera would show the exclusive “behind the scenes” of the unnecessary effort invested in social media. I decided to question my mom about her views on technology. Throughout our conversation, she mentioned social media several times. My mom acquired little technology when she was a child, but she possessed the advantage of growing up and developing alongside technology. When she began embarking on her journey to become an elementary education teacher, she was shocked by just how much technology was used in the classroom every day. She had to make several adjustments, and she has witnessed first-hand the positive and negative effects of all things technology. Doing school work and working from home would be impossible without computers or the internet today, and this is one reason my mom is thankful for how advanced technology is. My mom has witnessed social media due to being present in school districts for several years. She does not want people to lose sight of who they are or forget about the “golden rule.” She knows it is easier to act negatively toward other people through a screen, and she feels as though it would be healthy for people to take a break from social media every once in a while. Her words only demonstrated the story behind my “Real Anatomy of Technology” piece: Put the screens down and live in the moment.
"The living moment is everything." -David Herbert Lawrence
The Value of Words
When my class began discussing the overview of this project, I knew that I wanted to incorporate some of my favorite Bible verses throughout the piece. I pondered several different images in my head, trying to determine which option would best portray the meaning behind my work. I determined that I would create the Calvary Crosses. I chose to create deep, dark silhouettes up against a bright, vivid sunset. I did this in order to portray that God is with us in the light and the darkness. For the bottom hill, I chose to write Psalm 118:6, “The Lord is on my side, I will not fear.” I chose this Psalm because it was my confirmation verse, and I wanted it to be showcased front and center. The second hill contains the verse from 2 Corinthians 5:7, “Walk by faith.” I chose to incorporate this verse among the ground nearest the cross in order to show that Jesus died for us in order that we would continue to be faithful in him. Each of the three crosses contain the verse of 1 John 4:16, “God is love.” I chose to put this verse in each cross to show that Jesus loved us so much that he carried his own cross in order to die for our sins. The bright, yellow sun contains the words “I loved you at your darkest” from Romans 5:8. This is to show that God brings light upon our lives even in the darkest of times. The remainder of the sunset contains the words “I am with you always” from Matthew 28:20. I chose to write these words nearest to “Heaven” to portray the voice of God descending from above and telling us that he is always with us. Words impact people daily in both positive and negative ways. Spoken words never just disappear. They have the power to mend and heal, but they also have the power to hurt and kill. Kind words are used in order to get us through tough days, save us from grief, cheer us up after we lose a game, and encourage us to be the better version of ourselves. Hurtful words drag us down, make us feel alone, and allow us to feel unworthy. The words of Christ are beyond my favorite words to read about or even hear repeated to me. They always seem to reassure me and boost my spirits, especially when I feel the world is against me. Words tell us stories. It is our job to stop and think about what message we want our story to share.
"The word of God is the medicine of the heart." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
Art Awareness
This project really tugged at my heart strings, and I knew immediately that I wanted to spread awareness for suicide prevention. Suicide is something my family and I have been affected by as of October 19, 2019. That was the day that I lost a man I considered to be my uncle for my whole life. After losing him to suicide, Martin’s family and friends went down a long and difficult grieving road; I think I speak for most of us when I say that guilt weighed heavy on our hearts. Nobody could believe that a person could feel so hurt and broken without anyone even seeing it. Martin truly was my inspiration behind this piece. Suicide is a touchy subject around the world. Sometimes people who commit suicide are looked at as selfish and weak. In reality, all of the people in the world who have died from suicide were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters who have felt broken beyond repair. I stand to promote suicide prevention awareness for those who no longer have a voice. I stand for those who feel alone in a world that contains so much evil and disaster.
I chose to portray the effects of suicide in my project through six different perspectives. Each hand and wrist contains the scars, burdens, and tragedies that once formed due to the idea of suicide. The bottom left of the page holds the hand of a widow who lost her husband to suicide; She has a tattoo that reads, “Forever in my heart.” The dark, gray, shadowy hand shown in the middle on the bottom of the page resembles a woman that is no longer alive due to suicide. On the right side of the page at the bottom, there is a tired hand restricted by a handcuff. This represents a man who ended up on suicide watch after attempting to take his own life. The top left hand holds oxycodone, which is one of the most popular opioids that is used for overdose. The top middle hand is shown with bloody cuts down the wrist. This hand represents a woman who made an effort to distract herself from her internal hurt by causing herself physical pain on the outside. The top right hand represents a survivor of suicide. The semicolon tattoo is a daily reminder that his story is not over. Suicide prevention awareness is represented in the color yellow, and I felt that it was important that all six perspectives held the same ribbon to portray their togetherness through such a difficult and emotional fight. Across the middle of the page is a constant reminder that even in the midst of the mental demons and darkness, nobody stands alone. Suicide is not selfish, and nobody should have to choose between darkness or death. Together, we can end the stigma. Together, we can stop suicide.
"Give it time, keep moving forward, and never give up." -Loren, Spring Hill