Life is always throwing unexpected curve balls right at us. Every week, every day, sometimes every moment of life can be uncertain. We do not know when we will die, we do not know what new-found happiness tomorrow will bring, nor do we know where we will be or what we will be doing in a year or two from now. This repetitive idea of the “unknown” and “unexpected” causes much chaos (and stress) for me, someone who always needs to have a plan figured out. However, along with this chaos comes a whirlwind of emotions. Tapping into my emotions gives me the ability to create my artwork. It gives me an escape from the stress, and a general release of whatever feeling I am overwhelmed with. When I create a piece of artwork I feel a sense of relief. Whenever I begin a piece, I just go with whatever feeling I've got in the moment. However, I find that I create my best work when I am extremely emotional, whether that be incredibly angry, completely excited, or just over the top happy. I absolutely love the transformation during the overall creative process. I get angry when I make a simple mistake and then finally when the piece is finished, I am quite satisfied because it usually looks great. When the vision that I had in my head has transferred onto my paper, I know that my work is complete.
When people look at my completed work, I want them to feel captivated and yet curious at the same time. I want them to wonder what I was thinking when I created it, or why I used particular elements in my pieces. Sometimes I like to think that the more unexpected my artwork is, the better.
When it comes to the actual work I create, I don’t necessarily have a specific style nor do I always use the same medium. I tend to select materials based on the idea that I have in my head.. I ask myself: Is there a time limit as to how long I have to create my piece? What specific characteristics do I want to put emphasis on? And what materials have I used recently? Based on the answers to my own questions, I make a choice of materials. I would have to say though that my strongest work is created digitally using Photoshop and Illustrator. It seems to take less time and the outcome is more natural because it is securely in my comfort zone.
My most recent work however has been done by hand. I spent the majority of this school year working digitally so I wanted to challenge myself and use materials that I wouldn't necessarily use. Following this same idea, I have a strong desire to create work that is shocking or unexpected to the viewer. I would say that I am exploring a different side of mine (or a “dark side” as some say) with some of my current pieces. Spiders (including Spider-Man) and creepy things seem to be a repetitive idea in some of my pieces. Overall, I enjoy the challenge that is brought by stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something different.
When people look at my completed work, I want them to feel captivated and yet curious at the same time. I want them to wonder what I was thinking when I created it, or why I used particular elements in my pieces. Sometimes I like to think that the more unexpected my artwork is, the better.
When it comes to the actual work I create, I don’t necessarily have a specific style nor do I always use the same medium. I tend to select materials based on the idea that I have in my head.. I ask myself: Is there a time limit as to how long I have to create my piece? What specific characteristics do I want to put emphasis on? And what materials have I used recently? Based on the answers to my own questions, I make a choice of materials. I would have to say though that my strongest work is created digitally using Photoshop and Illustrator. It seems to take less time and the outcome is more natural because it is securely in my comfort zone.
My most recent work however has been done by hand. I spent the majority of this school year working digitally so I wanted to challenge myself and use materials that I wouldn't necessarily use. Following this same idea, I have a strong desire to create work that is shocking or unexpected to the viewer. I would say that I am exploring a different side of mine (or a “dark side” as some say) with some of my current pieces. Spiders (including Spider-Man) and creepy things seem to be a repetitive idea in some of my pieces. Overall, I enjoy the challenge that is brought by stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something different.