2-D Design

Midyear Reflection

This semester in 2D-Design I have explored a variety of techniques that have challenged me, and inspired me to keep trying out new ways to create. From collage to stippling, 3D works, and photoshop, I have explored many different mediums/techniques. I have been most successful with creating a variety of works that begin to venture out of my comfort zone with art. I have a comfort zone in art, where the line is drawn on which I can either make "good looking" art, or push myself to explore which may turn out well, and also may not. This semester I have been successful in leaning away from my comfort zone, and trying projects. normally wouldn't try. Two good examples of this are the Circle Project, and my Sustained Investigation 2. For the Circle Project, I used stippling, which I had never done before. While this took awhile, I learned a lot from it. Also in the category of detail was my S.I.2. In this piece I made a highly detailed design on of a hawksbill turtle and a humpback whale's tale. Both projects required a new level of dedication to seeing where a piece might go, especially when you don't have a plan for it.

I have struggled with deadlines a lot this semester. Around October, when we did the designing abstration project, I started to research climate change more. I fell into depression, and am still working my way out of it. It is painfully hard to hold the weight of such a large topic and continue to live life in the same way. Which is why I stopped doing projects. This led to a quite a few unfinished or simply unstarted works. There was very little motivation to do work when it felt like no one was seeing what I was seeing. Luckily, I have parents who were able to see this decline in me, and help me remember the importance of keeping going. Coming back from this takes time. Finally I have almost caught up and come back to the basis of why I keep creating. There is the possibility that I can create something that will answer questions that I or others don't know they had.

In the future, my artistic goals are to keep creating, and exploring. I wish to continue experimenting with mediums and all different sizes and shapes a work can be. I would like to someday get to experience art school or something along those lines. The future is very uncertain, and taking it simply day by day, and week by week can be important. I hope to keep asking questions in art, and to keep making new discoveries along the way to those answers.