12/01/2022
Artist’s Statement
11/13/22
Health and Wellness is an important topic in today’s society and a relevant topic for artists and students to explore. The portrayal of what health and wellness looks like is often misrepresented in the media. My media arts design is going to be focused on the positive because I believe where focus goes, energy flows. Mahatma Gandhi is quoted to say, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I want this design work to radiate good and positivity into the world.
This media arts design is going to be a collaborative piece. My background is in mural painting, and with this design it could be used in the classroom to create a mural design. This work if used in the classroom will encompass student culture and identity in terms of health and wellness.
The foundation for this piece is going to be based on the words we use to create our reality. The words we say to ourselves in our head and the words we speak have effects the wellness of our minds and body. My intention is to create beauty representing health and wellness.
For the process we begin with words. The words will come from people of a group (i.e. school, friends, class, social media participation, etc.). Words can be from completing a phrase (health is… or wellness is…) or writing a poem in haiku format about health and wellness. I will process these words using an AI generator. The images will be selected from the AI generator and formed and fitted into a composition design. This design can later be painted or made into a printed decal that would be used as a wall mural for public display.
Using an AI generator from spoken or written words is the chosen technology because it is going to show that the words we use can create something beautiful. There is an aspect of the world being past on and something being created that we don’t really control, but that is influenced by us. Once the word leaves our mouths it goes out into the world and creates either something in an environment that leave an effect on others. The is a balance of both control and lack of control using an AI generator since its something we helped create, but also leave the trust of its manifestation in something else. The mending together using either a photoshop application or physically printing, cutting, and pasting participants generated images shows how the small components of a system affect a greater body of community.
Challenges in this process #1 was my initial attitude of disliking technology. The words I used to describe technology were ugly. I used my own artistic motivations to change those words I used for technology in order for it to help me and create something beautiful. Secondly, my self-talk was that I thought I was not technology savvy. I did have confidence though to try and was happy with my results. The process reinforced something I always knew; that if you want to do something hard the hardest part is getting over that beginning hurdle. I believe that once you take the first step of action to move forward you get the right energy perpetuating, and it just flows. To get over that initial bump I had to change my mindset to get the job done. This helped me to persevere and be resilient in this situation. I set my eye on the “why” to see the big picture. This helped inspire me and drive me to keep going to make this project happen.
Bringing multiple images to gather into one cohesive design is a challenge for me. I have no formal graphic design training. I am referring back to what I learned about composition in high school art class. I am imagining the rule of thirds, scale, foreground, middle ground, and background. Improvement will come the more I play and experiment. I need to push myself to go beyond integrating just 2-3 images to possibly integrating as many would be people in a classroom. I think my concept is strong, but the technical skills need to be strengthened.
The final challenge I faced was that when images were generated with people, it so often was Caucasian females. Ideally, I want to have an art piece that represents all. I may have to open my toolbox to more AI generators to see if this changes.
My aims and goals for this project is for creator and viewer to consider the following:
What does it look like and feel like to be healthy and well?
What are symbols and motifs of health and wellness?
What are things that you can think/do/ buy that you believe make you healthy and well?
What mindsets and actions contribute to health and wellness?
The ultimate goal is to create and radiate authentic health and wellness as well as be mindful of the things that make us truly healthy and well inside and out.
