Why am I so obsessed with myself and my own mannerisms? Why do I seek to understand more about myself through others? Why is it that the happiest part of anyone's day or most people is when they prepare to eat a meal? Why are dreams so WEIRD and this strange hyper reality that makes sense in its own alternate universe but has no grasp on actual reality? Why is it okay to have such a large gap between rich and poor?-Is it ok? Why is it that homeless people tend to have the most interesting stories and insights into the world? Why is it that some old people are super cool and others are so jaded, what happens in the course of a lifetime to change people or even break people in such ways? Why are first impressions so important- and at the same time so insignificant? Why are numerical symbols universal but linguistics and languages vary so drastically even with the slightest accents of various regions in the same countries? What does language say about a culture? How does language influence a society's perception?
I think some people may think exploring yourself may be an easy task because you are the person who knows yourself the best. But, as you know, it is anything but easy. There are so many things that contribute to who we are as a person. How did we become the person we are today? I read an article about numerical symbols a while back. I'll have to look it up and copy it for you. It was pretty interesting. I also read an article about identical twins. Contrary to most articles about twins, that only focus on how alike they are, this article focused on how different identical twins are. It is an interesting take on identity.
ReplyDeleteAt first read I thought you were completely all-over-the-place with your interests, but upon a little thought, and reading on, it became evident that though you had a laundry list of topics, a seeming potpourri, they are all distinctly part of your FIRST interest: yourself. I think you can use this vast "scatter-brained-ness" to your advantage, and despite "FOOD, dreams, international development, the homeless, the elderly, crimes against humanity, immigration reform, my family, first generation American lifestyles, sound and lighting production, event planning, public speaking, children, interracial relationships, languages, first impressions," you of all people have it in you to distill a certain personal essence that each subject, though all very clearly different, possesses and tie it all together. I think?
ReplyDeleteLike you said, what makes these things so interesting is the fact that they are at once PERSONAL to each individual person (i.e. your dreams are your own, the food you prepare and eat is your own, etc.) and UNIVERSAL (everyone dreams, eats, etc.) to all people everywhere. The crux may lie in the fact that the CONCEPT or FORM is universal, but the CONTENT is completely unique to each person. I think? I think. Yes, I think. So does everyone. But my thoughts are my own. You can't have 'em, 'cause they're mine.
Also, I've always been a bit fascinated with the fact that though EVERYONE dies, you can assure yourself that you are safe from any/every other death except your own :-) (silver lining to that rain cloud, I suppose).
Antonio 2/27/12 11:01AM
I havent done too much introspective work, but my guess is it's an incredible experience for the artist; being able to use your art to explore your life and identity. I can't think of any artists offf the top of my head whose work i've seen and who focus on self-reflective work, but I'd be curious to see how viewers interact with works that are self-reflective of the artist. Some of your other interests in social and global issues are concepts that the world are much more familiar with and therefore may be more approachable, so I guess it just depends on what you're hoping to acheive through your work this semster. I think either are capable of producing some very interesting pieces.
ReplyDeleteHannah 2/20/12 8:30PM
To respond to Daniella, Hannah and Antonio in one reflective response...I definitely agree with everything you guys are saying in fact your feedback has helped further my own insight into myself when seeing the way that you guys have received my post.
ReplyDeleteI think a big part of it is that I am trying to find out who I am like Daniella pointed out and it isn't always easy because we are always changing. But to connect that to Hannah's comment some of the artists, actually two of them, that I am in love with are Janine Antoni and Marina Abromovic who are "my spirit animals" as one of my friends refers to people that inspire her. Antoni and Abromovic's pieces all use themselves as the main subject but the progression of their work is ever growing and changing through the course of their artistic careers which for both of them at this point have spanned some more than 20-30 years.
I think that in some of my projects I have thought out the results and wanted outcomes more than others, but in the end they are all just ideas that became experiences and the experience during the art/performance itself is what truly creates the piece. Which I also think is why it is often times difficult for me to truly word what I am envisioning because it is always changing and ALWAYS changes once it is being executed.
Antonio you truly opened my eyes when you were mentioning how all this stuff is essentially universal because these things are personal to each individual person. Such a simple thing that I didn't automatically make that connection.
Amanda