Art and Fear
I never considered fear as a factor in my practice. But after reading Art and Fear, I’ve realized that there are many names for this kind of fear. It can be consideration of your particular audience and how the work may be viewed. It can be a concern about whether your message will be adequately portrayed by the medium and composition. It can be an uncertainty whether you are doing the right thing, making the right kind of work, sending the right message.
My works up until now have been mostly about objective perspectives. They are physical representation of an idea or concept that anyone can have about the particular topic. I made multiple artworks about people’s relationship with technology and interface, portraying the complexity and potential of our innovations with an ironically superficial eye, simplifying the interaction to its core essence of subtle absurdity and uniqueness.
Thinking back to these works, I understand I did have a certain level of fear, but this was translated into a careful consideration and brainstorming of ideas about how relatable and prevalent the topic is. This fear was what drove me to rethink and reconfigure the way I go through my process.
The project I’m working on right now is completely different from any of the other works I’ve produced during my time at Cornell. This is a strictly personal work that matters to me more than anyone who will ever see these paintings. I can’t think back to the time when I’ve made work that has a significant meaning to who I am and what I do. People always say art is a means of self expression but I have not been using it so. The fear of this project comes from doing something new. Fear also comes from the message these paintings carry. It comes from the question whether I had given them enough thought and time; is it okay to make works like this; do I do it justice?