An Independent Mind Creates an Experimental Vision
A simple and independent mind does not toil at the bidding of any prince.
-Walden, by Henry David Thoreau (p45)
What would happen if I only answered people in a form of a question? For one weekend I answered my peers with a question instead of a declarative statement. My peers had thought that I was having a mental breakdown or trying to be sarcastic and started asking me questions about what I was doing. Throughout the whole day my peers got very frustrated and irritated because I wouldn’t give a clear answer. Two of them didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day. Whether we realize it or not, everyone depends on another person to give an exact answer to his or her question. Is it possible that we depend on the same person too much?
This was an experiment I created to test the type of person I was. I was always the “yes” person that everyone went to for “help” or “advice”. I was afraid to say no to other people because I felt that I would disappoint the person in not fulfilling his or her task. Although, there were many tasks I didn’t have to do, I knew I was being taken advantage of. In school, I was one of the high achievers always prepared for class. In church, I portrayed the artistic talent. I felt frustrated and got stressed out because I booked myself up with a lot of work and didn’t have the guts to stand up for myself. Sometimes, I felt a little depressed and would push myself away from everyone.
After the experiment, I looked at myself through an invisible mirror. I saw how confident I felt; I became a renewed individual. This new person turned my artistic vision into a different direction. I know that I am now a young independent individual that doesn’t have to serve anyone’s unreasonable request. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person of “higher class” or the most popular; anyone can take advantage of you. I have a mind of my own and no one can take that away from me.
Observation is a human being’s sixth sense. My sight, taste, touch, sense of smell, and ability to hear are the basic senses needed for someone like myself to be aware of the environment that surrounds me. When I was younger, I would notice every speck of detail of the things around me that other people cannot even see. I remember going outside in my backyard to just be around the fresh air.
I would lie across the grass to look at the white fluffy clouds in the sky and sit on the concrete porch to look at the huge forest green tree that always linked against my wired fence and my neighbor’s house across the back of my house. I saw clouds that formed into a train, a loaf of bread, bubbles, flowers, a dog stretching its back, and even a human eye. In the tree, I saw formations of pencils, bow ties, a smiley face, an anchor, a megaphone, and so much more. No matter where I am, I find the most unique details that really catch my eye.
With the influence of my life as of now, I have observed a pattern in my art style. My art style consists of colors, lines, and movement. My mother often tells me that I have an eye for color. I would coordinate colors together that I felt had the best combination for a certain shape or space. I consider that colors express the personality of a person or a specific drawing or picture. Without colors, life wouldn’t really exist. As my artwork progresses, I notice how focused I am with the line quality. I was never concerned about blending lines to create a form of something, but “line” is the root of creating almost anything. Whether I am drawing, coloring, or making some type of sculpture, lines help to create a series of different forms of art. Just like colors, lines can show a form of expression. Even the thickness and pressure of the line can reveal how the person felt at that particular time when creating the art piece. Whenever I sketch an idea, I always start with a circle. I never understood why I start drawing with a simple circle, but I realize that circles, for me, represent movement. Every time I think up an idea, my imagination is usually associated with movement. This is how I became interested in animation and the everyday motions of the plants, people, animals, and other life forms. Art is a form of my expression and a language that I want to use to reveal the potential I have within myself.
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
-Henry David Thoreau
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