My identity has definitely changed through the transition from high school student to soon to be college graduate. One of the biggest breakthroughs was finding out what I want to do with my life. In a scrapbook I made, there is a list I made the summer going into my senior year of high school of jobs I thought I might like: photographer, teacher, writer/journalism, realtor, wedding planner, psychiatrist, dietitian/nutritionist, personal trainer, and social worker. Clearly I was a confused kid. But by sophomore year of college I had narrowed it down to Spanish and Art Education! yahoo! My taste in music is another way my identity has changed. In high school I listened to a lot of punk/emo/alternative bands and I still do occasionally, but now my favorite genre is the complete opposite – country. I love country music’s Midwestern values, and learned how important they are to me this summer while studying abroad with students from all over the US. You know what they say – you can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the girl. Of course my relationships have changed from high school to college – I’m closer with my parents, I’ve made new friends and lost others, and I’ve found the perfect boyfriend. I believe the people a person surrounds themself with say a lot about their identity – a translation of one of my favorite Spanish proverbs is, “Tell me who you’re with, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
My artwork has changed some from high school to college. I’ve always loved photographing places and people and incorporating words into some of my pieces, but the majority of my recent word pieces are Spanish words instead of English words. Since most people only know basic Spanish if any at all, I can really say what I want to say and not have to worry about what anyone will think since they probably can’t read it anyway. For me a major difference between my high school and college art classes is that art history has such a bigger role. In high school photography the only artists I remember learning about were Andy Warhol and Walker Evans, and Frida Kahlo in my Spanish classes. But in Elements of Art I discovered Matisse and Degas; in Intermediate Photo I discovered Ansel Adams; and in Painting 1 I discovered Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, and Grant Wood. While studying abroad in Spain I was inspired by Rubens, Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Goya, Salvador Dali, and Velazquez. So yes, my identity and artwork have both changed from that of a high school student to that of a college student.
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I like incorporating spanish as well, when you feel you can say whatever you want. Though I remember attending a show in Minneapolis last year where a student had journaling in spanish; and it seemed as thought it was written thinking no one would ever be able to read it, then I realized I was reading it. Not that that is good or bad, it's merely another form of communicating to an audience or rather not communicating to others. Imagine how different art appears to those who are purposely "left out of the loop" and those who "get" our secrets...
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what a psuedonym can do for one's sense of alleviation. When we make art we want to communicate, but perhaps we are scared to let out the truth and express honestly. A second language to us seems exotic, coded. As I learned in high school- many people are in fact very skilled at removing the smoke and mirrors to get to the message. Yet there is also something to be said for shielding ourselves and "writing" in a code that only our understanding confidants can understand.- There are quite a few people who are in the Spanish and Art department.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you are learning about all kinds of artists-they will really add richness and depth to your work as an artist and a teacher
ReplyDeleteI find it really amusing that you use Spanish in your art pieces. It makes me stop and try to figure out what it says, but I have little knowledge of the language, so it leaves me hanging. I like that. Do you believe if you lived in an area that was more prominently Spanish speaking you would use more English in your work? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteI too, agree that the use of Spanish is intriguing and intersting. I feel that it can only draw more viewers into your work and make you more well known and repected!
ReplyDeleteLove the trading cards!