'Some people feel the rain, others just get wet' -  Bob Dylan

 

Within my life art affects everything. They way in which I see things, view others and have an understanding of the world and what exists. I believe that I have a very positive outlook on life but understand the struggles and that there are times when an individual will view something as negative which can then lead to the way in which they see things and look at others. My art and the way in which I live my life contributes to the way I draw things and what I choose to draw. It is important for me to have a balance between relaxation and work so that stress doesn't occur and I will be able to produce successful outcomes within my practice that I will be proud of. 

 

Talking to people who I choose to surround myself with, they often believe that all artists are the same; they are more emotional and have a different view of the world than them. This opinion often comes from academic students who only have a brief understanding of the arts and what we actually do. A lot of people believe that all artists are pretentious and waste their time on a career that is most likely to turn out unsuccessful. For me art is about how you feel and how you can express yourself. It is a talent and requires an understanding of the past history of arts and how it has developed and grown over the years. There are differences between traditional and contemporary art that can coincide with one another and I believe that we can each learn from one another and create art that is treasured and understood or interpreted by anyone who is willing to listen.

 

All my drawings seem to concentrate on white women. Why is this? Is it due to the fact that I went to an all white infant, junior and secondary school where I was the only black girl until year 8? My idea of beauty was what was around me, what was shown on television which consisted of the majority; white people. There aren’t a lot of times where I can find a photograph of a black woman that I would like to draw, something that attracts my eye and I believe this is a major problem that needs to be dealt with. For girls in this day and age, the ideas and concepts that are found beautiful are what an individual gets from the environment they live in, who they surround themselves with and what they watch. I think that my ideas of beauty and what is identified as beautiful is predominantly white women, is because that’s what I’ve been surrounded by for the majority of my life. The photographs that I have taken during this project show that I surround myself with white people which is a choice and something that I am happy with but is affecting the way in which I view things. The photographs that I choose to take during the course of this external project, the ideas that are constructed in my head are based around white women but it’s time for a change. Learning more about my history, black history and what seems to happening around the world as I write this message is helping me to have a better understanding as to why I think about things in a certain way.

 

“Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.” – Eleanor Roosevelt