My ProcessA lot of my artwork has revolved around my identity, visual culture, and juxtaposition. I find myself always inspired by music, feminism or just experimenting with whatever medium I am working with. Drawing has always been an outlet for me to process whatever has been going through my mind, whether it be from listening to a song over and over, watching a movie or reflecting on current events happening in my life or the world.
MusicWhenever I listen to music, my mind creates a visual narrative to tell the story or the essence of that song and feelings it evokes out of me. The music I listen to tends to heavily impact the artwork I am making from using lyrics as titles of the artwork, illustrating the song through creating characters and visual narratives or creating portraits of the artists I listen to the most. Music has always been there for me throughout my entire life, calming me down, letting me express my emotions and inspired me to keep going in life. Female artists like FKA Twigs, Hayley Williams, Joan Jett, Rina Sawayama and Courtney Love come to the forefront due to their range of capturing the female experience throughout their careers. The way women in the music industry have presented themselves throughout time to combat the male dominated world and present their authentic selves is something that I find fascinating and admirable. I connect deeply with their songs about vulnerability, sexism, love, and identity. I incorporate that sense of melancholy and pain from their music into my artwork, feeding off the mood and energy these artists have created within their music with my own emotions and mental health.
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FilmStorytelling through my artwork comes from not only music and lyrics but also film. Because of lockdown, I would find myself holed up watching different films, from Perfect Blue to Scarface and The Lighthouse. As I was watching these movies, my brain would notice the cinematography, from how moments were framed, the different color schemes, and the journeys that characters were taking and how that served as commentary on different issues depending upon the director’s perspective and the historical context surrounding the film during its’ release. This influenced me to think about how I can create narratives through my drawings, from forming my own characters and environments to using body language or symbolism for viewers to interpret as I mix beauty with the strange and unusual. This sense of juxtaposition between the literal and hidden meanings I have within my artwork allows for viewers to bring in their own experiences and interpretations with my work.
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