"Feedback"
Lens Based Photography March 2022 |
Exhibition Text This image was created using my phone via lens based photography. My intentions for this piece were to continue my mental health series by exhibiting how anxiety feels to me and what my life looks like while dealing with anxiety. I became interested in artist John William Keedy and his "It's Hardly Noticeable" series that gives viewers a look into the world of a person living with an anxiety order. I
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used this idea of demonstrating life with anxiety and applied my own habits into my photos.
Critical Investigation
"It's Hardly Noticeable" John William Keedy
Inspiration
John William Keedy is a photographer and graphic designer who blends commercial and fine art. Keedy has multiple portfolios and photography collections however I decided to take inspiration from his "It's Hardly Noticeable" series. This series centers around a character who is trying to live their life while suffering from some sort of anxiety disorder. The character is meant to reveal the relationship between reality and perception. As quoted by Keedy, "He (the character) negotiates situations constructed to highlight the impacts and implications of his differences on his thoughts and behaviors, and by doing so raises questions of normalcy." Keedy's work displays how anxious thoughts may differ from healthy minded thoughts and emotions and how these anxious thoughts and emotions may seem strange to people who don't suffer from anxiety. I specifically took interest from an image in this "It's Hardly Noticeable" series where post it notes are stuck onto a door. The post it notes all say "be better" and they are scattered throughout the entire picture. I really connected to this image because I often tell myself to be better and I put a lot of pressure on myself in every aspect of my life. I also deal with people telling me to do things that are easier said than done. It can be hard for people to understand how anxiety feels and it's easier to come from an outside perspective and give opinions. I also took inspiration for one of my process photos from the purple glove photo in Keedy's series. This image really impacted me because of how relatable it is. This photo features a purple glove that is covered in band-aids. I interpret this photo as someone who suffers from stress or anxiety and they pick and peel at their skin. Just like the character in this series, I pick at my skin when i'm stressed out and my hands closely resemble the glove because of all the band-aids.
Planning
For these planning sketches, I drew up some designs on how I wanted my pictures to look. I decided that I wanted to continue with my anxiety and mental health series so I started off by drawing out some things that represented anxiety to me. One of my main ideas was to take pictures of my hands. When I get really anxious I pick at the skin on my fingers and this habit really effects the way that I function and carry out everyday tasks. Next, I started sketching out some everyday tasks that provoke anxiety or the feeling of being anxious. I drew an image of a test, a phone call, and a to do list. These are all items that stress me out and make me anxious in general. I also sketched a door knob and hand washing because I also struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder which is directly related to my anxiety. I decided that I wanted to specifically use an image from the "It's Hardly Noticeable" series that featured a wall of sticky notes that displayed the message, "be better". This image really spoke to me because people close to me don't understand how difficult this disorder can be to deal with and I feel pressured to be better everyday. Although I connected to the previous message, I wanted to change that saying into quotes that I often hear people say to me like "stop procrastinating", "just breathe", and "calm down". I chose these quotes specifically because they are all easier said than done and may seem like simple tasks for people who don't struggle with anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder. It can be difficult to climb yourself out of a deep, anxiety ridden, hole and I wanted to show that through these notes and quotes.
Process
To begin, I the first picture that I took was an image of my hand with peeling skin, chipped nail polish, and dry cuticles. I wanted to show how anxiety effects me so I didn't plan out or stage the way my hand looks. I tested out different hand positions and figured out a great spot to place my hand where the wounds would be most noticeable and I used a black background so that my hand and my nails would stand out. I also played with some different types of lighting. I'm not very skilled in photography so I experimented with using direct and indirect sunlight. Finally, I tested out using my other hand, however I found that my left hand was easier to position and I was able to take the pictures better with my dominant hand.
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Continuing on, the next set of pictures that I took were of my desk where I craft and make jewelry. I own a polymer clay business where I make and sell one of a kind earrings. I find it hard to balance my work life and school life and worrying about having to constantly keep up with making earring for scheduled launches makes me extremely anxious and stressed. It's also difficult for me to find the motivation to clean my work space so I wanted to show what my desk looks like after a few day of making earrings. This was also not staged and I made sure to capture my entire desk in order to show the reality of my work situation. I again experimented with different camera angles and lighting so that all of the items were displayed and so that there were no shadows from me or my phone. I also took multiple pictures experimenting with different lighting. I took pictures with the blinds open and closed and I experimented with using a ring light. I found that natural light worked best and the picture came out bright and vibrant.
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Finally, for my main piece, I decided to use John William Keedy's "It's Hardly Noticeable" series as inspiration. I wanted to show some quotes that people say to me often and show how these things are easier said than done. I began by writing out the quotes "just breathe", "calm down", and "don't procrastinate" on some post it notes and staged them similar to how Keedy staged his. I then experimented with lighting adjustments and figuring out whether I wanted to take a picture of the post it notes in doors or outdoors. I also decided that I wanted to take some pictures of me pulling some of the post it notes off of the door so that it looked like I was trying to remove these quotes from people or take away their ability to say these things to me especially when I am extremely anxious or swamped. I made sure to also take close up pictures of each word so that they were prominent and easy to read.
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Experimentation
I rarely ever work with photography and picture taking so I faced a few challenges while completing this assignment. I first had to work with lighting and figuring out how I wanted my lighting to look. I took my pictures at different times of the day so that I could determine what lighting I liked the best. I found that the earlier that I took my pictures, the better and more vibrant they turned out. I also experimented with indoor and outdoor pictures. The images that I took indoor consist of the desk and the hand however the post it note image was taken outside. I found that the images taken outside had access to more natural light which made them look clear and more professional. Next, I had to experiment with different camera angles. I wanted to make sure that the shadows of me or my phone were not in any of the pictures and I wanted to make sure that there were no dark spots from any other sources like the line shaped shadows that blinds make. I found that it all depended on what time of day that picture was taken and the time with the least shadows was earlier in the day rather than at night. I also wanted to make some of my camera angles resemble John William Keedy's camera angles because he was my main inspiration. I found myself drawn to his post it note picture in his "It's Hardly Noticeable" series so I staged my camera angles to resemble his. Finally, I experimented with colors and backgrounds. I wanted to make sure that my hand and the post it notes would stand out so I opted to use white and black backgrounds. These backgrounds were very effective and I think that the black background especially worked perfectly. Overall, I think a learned a lot of skills that I will be able to use for future projects and assignments and I am confident in my new picture taking abilities.
Critique
This lens based photo project was inspired by photographer John William Keedy and there are my similarities and differences between our images. To compare, I used the same sticky note idea to display my feelings and thoughts. I wanted to make this connection, because I felt a connection to the way that people would rather speak than listen and the closed door can symbolize how we no longer want to hear what others have to say about our mental health. Another comparison would be the meaning behind both of our pieces. They both represent the thoughts and feelings of a person dealing with an anxiety disorder and the thoughts and feelings of family members and friends of that anxious person. A difference between the two photos is the different sayings on post it notes. Although there was no specific meaning listed for Keedy's image, I interpret the notes as him telling himself to be better however I wrote on my post it notes things that other people often say to me to get me to calm down but end up doing the opposite. Another difference between our images is camera quality. Although my image isn't bad, I don't own a professional camera so my image has less quality that Keedy's image because he uses a professional camera. The third difference between the two photos is the tone of the images. The color of the post it notes, the door, and the lights make my photo look very cool toned and cold. However, Keedy's image uses yellow post it notes, a tan door, and warm lighting which makes the image appear warm toned.
Reflection
My inspiration for this project was John William Keedy and his photography portfolios. I really appreciated his ability to incorporate his mental health and mental health in general into a beautiful collection of photos. Mental health isn't as represented in popular art and it can be hard to find representation of anxiety disorders. I wanted to be able to make an impact on people who suffer from anxiety and people who have family members and friends who suffer from anxiety so that I they can understand that they are not alone. I loved the shape and composition of Keedy's pictures and I wanted to be able to re create his art style by using post it notes to convey a message which is something I have never done artistically. I loved the way that the final product turned out and the experimentation process along the way. The meaning behind this piece is important to me and it is important for other people who feel like their mental health is under represented. If I were to redo this assignment, I would probably rent a professional camera so that the images would turn out more crisp and defined. I would also make sure to take all of my pictures during the day because that is when the lighting was the best. My biggest challenge when completing this project was trying to figure out ideas of what I wanted to take pictures of. I felt like I was going through an artist block but I eventually overcame that and created a good and meaningful theme. Overall, I think that this project was successful and I would definitely experiment with photography again in the future.
ACT
1) Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
I identified that because of John William Keedy's photography, I was inspired to create a photo that would make an impact on people struggling with anxiety disorders.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Keedy was inspired by the lives of people who suffer from anxiety disorders and he or a family member more than likely have some variation of anxiety. He could be wanting to show how he or a relative feels when they are anxious.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Although I suffer from anxiety, everyone is different and some things that make me nervous may not make someone else feel the same way and vice versa. I was able to gain a new perspective on a persons mental health and I learned that things that might affect me don't necessarily affect others.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
My central theme surrounding my research for this project was mental health because I wanted to continue my overall identity theme that I have going on throughout all of my projects.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Although it was not explicitly stated, I came to the conclusion that Keedy was suffering from anxiety based off of his deep understanding and emotions towards it. Eventually after some more research I found out that he in fact does suffer from anxiety.
I identified that because of John William Keedy's photography, I was inspired to create a photo that would make an impact on people struggling with anxiety disorders.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Keedy was inspired by the lives of people who suffer from anxiety disorders and he or a family member more than likely have some variation of anxiety. He could be wanting to show how he or a relative feels when they are anxious.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Although I suffer from anxiety, everyone is different and some things that make me nervous may not make someone else feel the same way and vice versa. I was able to gain a new perspective on a persons mental health and I learned that things that might affect me don't necessarily affect others.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
My central theme surrounding my research for this project was mental health because I wanted to continue my overall identity theme that I have going on throughout all of my projects.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Although it was not explicitly stated, I came to the conclusion that Keedy was suffering from anxiety based off of his deep understanding and emotions towards it. Eventually after some more research I found out that he in fact does suffer from anxiety.
Bibliography
1. It's Hardly Noticeable - John William Keedy. Retrieved 14 March 2022, from https://www.johnwilliamkeedy.com/itshardlynoticeable/
2. John William Keedy Uses His Struggles with Anxiety to Make an Impact. (2021). Retrieved 14 March 2022, from https://www.artshelp.net/john-william-keedy-uses-his-struggles-with-anxiety-to-make-an-impact/
2. John William Keedy Uses His Struggles with Anxiety to Make an Impact. (2021). Retrieved 14 March 2022, from https://www.artshelp.net/john-william-keedy-uses-his-struggles-with-anxiety-to-make-an-impact/