Artist Statement...sort of

I have never ever thought of myself as an artist, so this is more of a finding myself as an artist statement, than an actual artist statement. Here goes:

It started with a shirt. The message was easy enough, “party til you puke.” I intended to do just that, wearing that very shirt I had created with spray paint and a handmade stencil. It was the first time I had made something that conveyed a message to the world. I was instantly hooked. I longed for more but had never thought of myself as an artist. I have always been creative, but I could never draw, let alone paint pictures. In school that meant you couldn’t be an artist, so I always wished I had the natural talent and chalked it up to bad genes. Recently I enrolled in the Digital Media Master’s program at Northeastern, and before I knew it, I was headed down a path I had only dreamed of taking. This path is one that has brought me here today although I did not know that was where I was headed. My first project in this class, “Choke Hold” showed me that I COULD be an artist. The picture was gritty and visceral but again I was able to tell the world what I wanted, this time a little more subtly. The picture portrays the message of a struggle and the will to never give up. It shows that you can resist something for so long that it actually becomes a part of you, but also, to never let go of a hope that there is something more out there.

Going to the “Book as Art” exhibit opened my eyes farther. This showed me that almost anything can be art. Art never has to fit a mold, nor does it have to break one. Art is exactly what you intend it to be. My journey brought me to the ICA; where I stumbled upon my most inspiring find yet, an artist by the name of Shepard Fairey. I knew of him prior to this find, but I did not think of him as much of and artist. To me, he was like myself, making his own stencils and spray painting silly pictures and phrases (where I started with a drinking shirt, he started with a picture of Andre the Giant and the phrase, “Andre the Giant has a posse”). After I saw Shepard Fairey’s exhibit I knew I had a place in the art world too. His works, such as “Duality of Humanity 3” and “War By Numbers” convey very intense messages to his viewers, and it was all done through spray-paint and handmade stencils. His work is beautiful and meaningful and touched me in more ways than one. He has shown me that I can tell a story, tell MY story, through any means of media. I feel like it was fate that brought me to the ICA that day. I now have to confidence to create and call my self an artist. Now all I have to do is find my voice and become strong enough to make the world listen. Writer Anaïs Nin wrote, “And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." This is where I find myself now, trying to unfurl each petal to get to the center of myself as an artist.