Disoriented

An overthinker in quarantine can be a dangerous place. I spend my days trying to occupy my mind so I'm not left with only my thoughts. I have been becoming more conscious of the fact that art is a safe haven for me. I intentionally surround myself with the arts whether it's music, a good film, sketching, or taking photographs. These things have the ability to evoke extremely powerful emotions in humans. Not necessarily the same emotion, which is what I think is so distinctive and beautiful about art. It's personal and perceptive yet unique to the individual.

My preferred medium is paint. Painting is an opportunity for me to speak without using words. The wrist/arm movements, brush strokes, vibrancy, texture; there is a physical connection between my inner mind and the material. Unfortunately, I don't have access to what I usually work with. I got to the point where I woke up one morning and started painting my bedroom walls using old paint from my basement. I'm trying to figure out where my project will go from here.

Digital art is not my forte, and I'm struggling to accept the fact that that is basically all I have to work with for the remainder of this semester. I enjoy photography, especially architecture and landscapes. With that being said, I don't know the technicalities of a good photograph such as exposure, light, composition, shadows, etc. I snap pictures on my phone of things that I admire or leave an impression on me. It's completely amateur and I don't want to submit substandard work.

However, when I was in Ireland I took a few photographs that I appreciate. I hardly took pictures during the first half of the trip due to the lockdown but a conversation with my mom changed my perception. Dublin is the capital and largest city in Ireland yet there I was in the middle of unoccupied and exposed streets. I will most likely never experience Dublin like that again, and there is something special in that. Like I said in my last post, we are in a gravely vulnerable position right now. I'm confused and there is an uneasy feeling amongst the world. Trying to steer my project in a similar but different direction has become quite the challenge to me.