Ashante K. Charles
Professor Micaela Kramer
Friday, December 14th, 2018
Crossing Bridges and Developing as an Artist
As an artist, I am pursuing a career in photography. One of the reasons I chose to explore the concept of “Avatar” in studio and seminar is because it discusses variations of identity, we investigate how we define ourselves in society and what particular community we embrace. In my perspective the concept of identity is integrated within the art of photography, it is the main component. We portray ourselves and subject a certain way, the deconstruction and construction of identity illustrated through all styles of photography and other art forms. As portraiture is the style I use to photograph individuals, it is crucial to avoid solely being swayed by the appearance of an individual, however, the persona they evoke on others, this aspect can make an influence on how I compose and capture the essence of a subject.
The most significant project that has resonated with me is creating our Botanical Sculptures with our partners. There were a few bridges I had to walk through to formulate this piece. Alternating between studio and seminar has been a challenge as it taught me how to produce our content visually and figuratively. My work has begun to embody thorough analysis, to enforce my purpose for creative projects I gravitate towards executing. The Botanical project was indeed the utmost intimidating process and creative concept I have encountered, this involved intense thought and vulnerability. One of the many segments of the project was our sound recordings in the integrative studio. In this piece, we shared our voice recordings and analyzed each other’s character. While I listened to James McKinnon’s sound piece continuously, I reflected on his dialogue through his tone, language, and attitude as he spoke to and of himself. This exercise was one stride towards portraying James.
The “wish and “memory” poems we composed were utilized considering they were great components to help us understand each other’s weaknesses and strengths especially our failures and triumphs. I have never had the instance to investigate an individual thoroughly, although it was unsettling it was intriguing and unusual. This experience has helped me acknowledge that I should take advantage of the resources I collect to create something unique. In my piece, I integrated sound, personality, and color to recreate an image of my partner. Based on the recording, a variety of themes had surfaced to my attention, such as the reflection of oneself, vulnerability, societal pressure, betrayal, and the lack of self-confidence. These themes all contributed to the materials that I obtained to integrate into the creation of James Avatar sculpture.
I felt uneasy about revealing parts of myself to a person who I’d considered a stranger just as my partner did, however, as we proceeded into precise elements of these projects we eased into comfort once we became familiar with one another and acknowledging that we both have undergone some of the same experiences.
Within my interview process, I contemplated the way I should analyze my artwork subsequently, in terms of writing thoughtfully and creatively. I struggle with my writing skills it’s a flaw I attempt to improve as much as I can. I have acknowledged that writing is a vital tool when translating my art to viewers conceptually. These integrative studies have in this instance, helped cultivate my writing and creative process. Reflecting back on my interview allowed me to reflect on how I break down concepts, it’s a technique I need to practice to elevate the essence of my work, approaching, formulating and executing. My goal was to accomplish this project to the best of my ability and I was satisfied by the outcome.
One other assignment I was dedicated to creatively was my personal sound project. With my past experience in communication technology, I was able to utilize and take advantage of the skills I had adapted, to create a cohesive piece. I was familiar with layers in sound, so I used overlapping as a technique to form a long-lasting effect on the audience. Not only integrating my voice with background noise, however, I also integrated sounds from the surroundings I interacted with. Through the process I wasn’t devoted to my script, it was productive to illustrate through the sounds I had to produce rather than writing what we were attempting to communicate. My piece revolves around my past, revealing it through sound made me feel vulnerable, although I wasn’t communicating the piece out loud myself, the audience in some way had the ability to decipher it to some extent.
Since I began studying at Parsons, I haven’t captured any conceptual projects for myself, it’s been four months, I have used my camera for projects, however, I have not conducted pieces in my terms. I appreciate that Parsons urges to take advantage of our creative freedom, it’s a method that was unapparent when I was first introduced to photography. Although I haven’t been practicing photography as often, it has given me the opportunity to explore and experiment with other art forms, opening myself to a different perspective that I can reflect back on within photography.
In everything we attempt to achieve there is likely to be a trial and error, in these classes I can’t exactly specify my triumphs and failures, it isn’t necessarily on those outcomes I need to express, however, reflect on what I must and can do better. Throughout this semester I assumed my studies would focus solely on photography, analyzing photos and scheduling photo sessions as I’ve done routinely. I was not aware of “foundation year” similarly to the freshman year of high school, assigning myself to mandatory classes once again. Although the focus was not on photography completely, these classes were inspired to help develop our skills and extend our knowledge and creativity. Creating artistic pieces collaboratively and individually both in seminar and studio have reinforced my decision, to pursue as a photographer. There were moments in the semester where I had the opportunity to utilize my talent, however, not as much as I thought. Integrative studio and seminar gave me the skills to be versatile, enhancing my strengths in areas I am unaccustomed to. It wasn’t necessarily about developing myself as a photographer, however, overall as an artist.
