I found the readings in In the Making about crafting an artistic self really interesting because it is something that so far in my art career I have not been asked to explain. I have written many times about individual pieces and written artist statements but in terms of crafting one artistic self I feel like it is a work in progress. Although there are many reoccurring themes in my work I am still learning new methods and materials that I feel make this more of an experimental time in my artistic career. The past four years here at the University of Iowa have also been very emotional and full of extremes. I have been learning new things about myself and reevaluating my beliefs and other things that have made up my life because of all the new things that I have been exposed to. When you add in these two factors I think that my artistic self at this point of my life is more about discovery and experimentation then centering my art on a specific set of ideals and mediums.
Nan Goldin has changed her artistic self over the many phases of her life. Although her purpose and medium have stayed the same her themes and images have changed dramatically to mirror the newest chapter of her life. She went from capturing the night life of the raging ‘80s to the spiritual awakening and emotions that are brought on by sobriety and traumatic loss. I see these evolutions happening in my own creation of my artistic self. I cannot say that I believe I have one now but I am in the process of creating one by evaluating what art means to me and what medium speaks best to my personality and beliefs. I still need to unearth the impact I want my work to have on an audience and who I want that audience to be. At this point in my life though I would want nothing else because I do not feel lost or uninspired but excited to explore and learn new things.
Thus far I have found that my best work has played with the idea of observing and enjoying the details in life. I have always felt that life is not fully lived unless you spend every day relishing in the small details of your day to day routines. Whether this be a new pair of socks, an unexpected compliment, your favorite coffee house, or a long laugh with a roommate. I have began experimenting with these ideas in my work by depicting the important things in my life, and also taking things that people usually do not notice and making them notice. Some of these pieces include a painting of the beach at my lake house at sun down, photographs of small corners and places in Iowa City, and sketches of the people that mean most to me. I like to keep a running list in my sketchbook of things that make me happy. It seems ridiculous but it can pick me out of any bad mood and provides as inspiration for art work. Another image I have been working with is the peacock. It really has no meaning to me other than I love their colors and think they are incredibly beautiful. However I have made a piece centered on a peacock in every medium I have worked with so far and they litter my sketchbook. In a way I guess it has come to represent myself but I am still not entirely sure why.
In terms of materials I tend to work best in the 2-D; coming into college I had an obsession with photography but since being introduced to oil painting my favorite medium has changed. Although I like oils most I still am very streaky and have found myself in love with certain mediums for semesters at a time. I think that this will continue until I have satisfied my curiosity with several mediums and work with one exclusively for more time.