Documentation of the interview:
Location: At a restaurant
Time: 11/24 During dinner
Interviewee 1) R.K Childhood friend, went to school together 1st-12th grade
Interviewee 2) R.O Close friend from High School
Interviewee 3) J.T Childhood friend, friends since we were 5
Image Shown
Q.) How well do you know yourself?
①) Haha, ummm… to be honest with you, I don’t know man. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Like sometimes I have moments where I’m reacting to something in a certain way and in my mind I’m like, “Wtf, wtf, why am I reacting like this?”.
②) I think I know myself pretty well. I mean, not to sound narcissistic but, I feel like I have a pretty good amount of control over my emotions.
③) I think I’m kinda close to what ① said. I feel like I do know myself well most of the time but, I have moments where I just can’t ya’ know? Haha. I mean, I never think of shit like this so… I guess, I do though..?
Q.) Do people know you well?
①) I think they do. I feel like I’m a very easy person to read. I suck at lying. I just can’t keep my emotions out of my facial expression.
②) This is such an awkward question… hahahaha. I sometimes have moments where people misunderstand me because I have a resting bitch face. So… I guess a yes and a no? I mean, you guys pretty much know everything about me right? Haha.
③) Mmmmm… I feel like people don’t understand what I really feel about things most of the time. I guess its my fault for being an introvert..
Q.) Would you say that you have a good understanding of other peoples thoughts?
①) I’m pretty bad at this. I don’t know, I guess I’m not good at observing other people. I especially don’t get what girls think.. Hahaha.
②) Yeah, I’m pretty observant if I must say so myself. I think I get what people are thinking most of the time. Like, I’m not a psychic or anything but I just don’t do dumb shit to upset people.
③) Yes and a no? I sometimes think I knew what someone was thinking and later find out that I was completely wrong. Shit feels bad haha.
I recently finished reading a novel called “こころ (Kokoro)” by Souseki Natsume, one of the greatest writers in Japanese history. His book depicts deep inner human emotions most people fear of exposing. This book had me think of the authenticity in our perception of other people’s emotions.
Overall, I still feel unanswered. Although in my case, it is totally fine as my topic deals with something that is unanswerable. However, listening to other peoples thoughts slightly helped me come in terms with my anxiety of fearing obliviousness. In regards to my process, I made a lot of changes. After my first interview which I conducted over the phone, I noticed that I felt distant. I decided to wait out my interview until thanksgiving break since my friends were coming over. It was nice to talk to my friends about something we would never really talk about and I’m happy to say that the interview opened myself up to different perspectives.
Project Brief: Throughout the interview process, I learned a lot about human interactions. At the age where technology dominates human communication, I found it critical for us humans to reaffirm our connection with one another. Through the painting I will be creating, I want to express the delicate emotions and different ways of thinking I took away from the interviews.
