My final piece exemplifies my personal struggle with defining myself as an artist. Every piece has been meticulously cut and warped to form an unsurpassable, eyesore of an entity that hovers just above the little hooded traveler. The two beings do not directly interact, but instead view each other as an out-of-reach nuisance. Rather than leaving the landscape and sky open and clear, multiple tones of static and text are used to build on the theme of discomfort through clutter. All the colors and tones have been darkened and had their contrast boosted to be sticky or jarring. The image is not meant to be entirely cohesive, nor is it meant to be visually appealing.
When I first opened Photoshop a few weeks back, I had drawn several different mockups of what I planned to make. However, I found myself with the pieces to five entirely different puzzles laid out in front of me. Nothing felt right. Something was always misplaced. Everything just felt uncomfortable. So I tried again.
Two sleepless nights and a torn up notebook later, I finally understood what was wrong. This whole time I was forcing myself to make something that I assumed other people would want to see by forcing myself to work with a style that was foreign to me. In the end I abandoned that notion and went created the monster that was following me on my journey.
Perhaps this is what has been building up all semester. Either way, this class has made me realize I need to let go and just create to become comfortable with my work. Until I can overcome that, I will be stuck wandering through the static.