Visual organization

When I am developing an idea, visual inspiration is very important to me. I need a place to spread out all my images and see the whole spectrum of visuals in front of me. I have recently started using a website called "Pinterest" to help me do this. It acts like an electronic pinboard. When I find an image that sparks my interest, or describes an idea for me visually, I can "pin" it to my board. When I click on my board, I see all the images I've selected appear on one big screen. I can add descriptions to my images, and they all have a link at the top that takes me back to the original webpage. There I can find other relevant information, read articles attached to the image, etc... It's been such a great resource to me as I'm piecing together my thoughts for this project.

You can find my thesis board here.

I've been thinking a lot about what interconnectedness really means. I notice so often that when I'm conscious of an idea, thing, or person, it shows up around me in many different ways. It's the same concept as meeting a person, then realizing that they've been somewhere around you the whole time. They ride your bus, or pass you on the street walking to work. Suddenly you're aware of them and they show up all over the place. 

Now that I'm aware of the repetition of forms, and the connections between seemingly disconnected elements, everything seems so much more holistic. I see things not just as isolated events or objects, but connected to a wider undercurrent. 

As I begin teaching at Princeton high school, I hear students say things like "Art doesn't affect me- it's not like I'm going to become an artist." This is saddening to me, because I have seen that making art can open one's mind to concepts and ideas that might never have occurred to them otherwise. Even beyond this, creative problem-solving (central to making art) can be useful in so many ways. It can help in job interviews, a relationship, even with saving for a car! Everything is useful in some way, and relates back to your life, even if it seems unlikely. Cultivating an attitude of holistic perception will help in so many ways you had never dreamed.

Star Stuff

Development

My work has begun. I have started a sketchbook from an altered book on Napoleon. I was about to type that the subject matter of the book has no connection to my theme, but then again, everything is interconnected.

Galaxy Nest (study)

Two Bodies in One (study)

These works specifically deal with the human form as an echoing of the repeated forms in nature. Galaxy Nest places an emphasis on our relationship with the universe as a nurturing environment. This is based on the concept that our bodies are formed from the same basic components that stars are composed of. In a cosmic way, the stars are our parents.

Two bodies in One creates a form repeated countless times throughout macro and micro scales: the circle. From a molecular to cosmic context, the circle is seen in moons, celestial bodies (note the specific term we use for planets), cells, tree rings, and even atoms. The shape of these bodies together forms a unified shape not easily dismissed. The Renaissance artists thought of the circle as the perfect form, for good reason. This shape forms the building block for everything we know.

These sketches will soon become full-scale drawings. I have my work cut out for me.