Have a nutty time Soph!

True Colors

So my latest project has been making progress, but it is at a standstill. The editing and touchups are done, but are the piece is waiting on being printed. So until I receive the hard copy I have been thinking of something small to do in between time.

Recently one of my favorite artists released his new album, and one particular song has stood out. I am unsure if it is more of the lyrics, tone, mood, or tempo of "True Colors" by The Weeknd that has had me hooked on it for over a week straight, but it has been on repeat constantly. The chorus is as follows:
                                              "Girl, come show me your true colors
                                                 Paint me a picture with your true colors
                                                These are the questions of a new lover                                                            
                                                             True colors, true colors"

These lines have had me thinking about what I would define as my "true colors" especially to someone new in my life. So in the time period while I wait for my image to be printed I think I want to experiment with this idea and literally "paint a picture with [my] true colors." However, I have yet to know what those happen to be. 

Needed more than ever...

This is about the art. It is about the action. The day off was needed to take care of myself and acknowledge the wounds that were inflicted on me and many  others today, but now it is time to start healing those wounds. 

I have been slacking off tremendously, blaming it on a lack of inspiration. However, I should've been careful for what I wished for, because now I am motivated, but out of anger, fear, disappointment, and so much more. I have been working on a piece entitled "blend away the misogyny," and it has always been relevant, but especially now. 

This is for you Katie 

I am not going to let this election take the fight away from me. That is the one thing it cannot take, and I am not one to fight with my fists, but instead with my art, my words, and my actions. For my piece I will be reverting back to photography mixed media. I have chosen to shoot Katie Cody as my model for this piece, someone I respect and admire so much. To me Katie exemplifies strength, passion, courage, compassion, pride, and ambition. That is what I want this piece to be. I hope to make it as powerful as her. 

Like I have expressed earlier, I am giving up on trying to please everyone, so this piece is for those girls who need it. It is for the ones who woke up today feeling unsafe and ashamed of who they are. I hope this piece will not only remind them of their beauty, but also their strength. 

We do not need to compromise. Clearly no one else is, so why should we give up our heels, our makeup, our dresses, or anything else that is seen as "girly" just to earn the respect of those who are still not giving it to us? We do not need to change who we are. We need to refuse to surrender, and I hope this piece is a reminder of those things.

For more background on my feelings and thoughts behind the idea of refusing to surrender and the pieces that will likely soon to come in the near future here is a separate post on another blog that is more broad. 

http://fromthatgirl.blogspot.com/2016/11/refuse-to-surrender.html

Why again?

ORIGINAL PLAN PRE-TA: Quit art. Ms. Wayss disapproved of plan to then came...

PLAN B: Quit art after sophomore year. Did not want to give up right before the end.

PLAN C: Quit art after junior year.

PLAN D: Stick with it...but why?

Basically art junior year was therapy sessions I didn't have to pay for. Granted I started junior year off in counseling, I believe art is one of the reasons why I was able to stop going to counseling and still be okay. It was a way of expression, but not behind closed doors, which made it empowering. It was part of a healing process and accepting all that happened and was happening rather than ignoring everything, because that is what got me in trouble in the first place. It was a way to come to terms with it all, but also make a statement. And to those who may have been "uncomfortable" or "disturbed" by the statements I was making...f*@$ off :) because at no moment were the points that got me to those pieces "comfortable" or satisfying, or even beautiful. In fact they were the total opposite. Those moments were dark, and ugly, and raw, but they were real. Those pieces were real, and those who weren't disturbed could have unfortunately probably relate in some way. So to those who didn't like those pieces, neither did I; I do not like the fact that I had to go through certain experiences to get those pieces, but I made it and they helped me through. Those pieces that make you uncomfortable healed me, and hopefully took someone else in the direction of healing.

So why am I taking art again...because it is something I need. When the rest of the world is loud, crazy, and sometimes ugly, I need a studio to go to and process it all. Art for me can no longer be about pleasing everyone, making everything perfect, and making things comfortable. Instead it must be about those who matter. It must be about who is healing because of the piece, even if that person is only me.

Unity in Girls

In reference to pages 5 and 11 in sketchbook from 17 October 2016.

So with this first piece I want it to be my opening for the rest of the year. The important thing I want to convey is the beginning to the end of sugarcoating and allowing the hard conversations to happen. As of now I want to do this through contrast and texture. I am playing with the idea of feathers and stone to represent the normal conversations we have day to day, and the downplaying and sugarcoating that happens a lot. The stones will represent the hard truth that is often hidden. I am still trying to figure out how I am going to convey this image specifically. However, I know I want to make the illusion of the stone coming through the feathers so there will be a lot of play with layers in this project. 

Until Now

My theme for this semester has been cryptic color; exploring the significance of color and the absence of color. However, my theme not only explores this idea, but also a particular medium which is photography mixed media. This came from a want to combine two of the visual art worlds, and has turned into being able to expand my horizons in and out of the studio in more ways thought possible. At first mixed media was just with traditional supplies like other types of paper, paint, and writing utensils, but it has turned into a lot more than that. I have explored the idea of photoshop, 3D elements, and more just so far.


After coming to an artist block for awhile, I finally came back to figuring out where my best art comes from and that is the art I can relay a message through that particularly deals with my personal experiences. Through my theme I have been able to pick and choose what exactly I want to highlight for my audience to try and interpret, and what I rather include but not emphasis. I have found as an artist this element is most important to me, because art is a therapy on its own for me, it is a way for me to get things out, but I do not necessarily want everyone to know exactly what I am putting out there. This is why this theme has worked well for me so far; I can include everything, but emphasis only some parts. 

Currently I am brainstorming multiple ideas for projects to come, but the difficulty in it all is now picking mediums. With mixed media being part of my theme, I have a lot more options than anticipated and it has been overwhelming picking what I want to work with in particular projects. Right now it seems as if I was given a whole new world of tools, and do not know what to do with them. I have several ideas, but now it is a matter of narrowing them down and executing them.