#process reflection

[jarlinwu]

Reflections on Memory and Distance

As I continue working on this project, I’m beginning to see how powerful visual storytelling can be for processing displacement. Being away from Guangzhou has given me more than just longing—it’s offered clarity on what I value about the place. The shrines, alleyways, riverbanks—these weren’t just backdrops. They were part of how I understood home.

By working through family archives and layering them over images from today, I’ve realised how much of identity is tied to visual memory. What we see and remember often defines what we feel connected to. This project is, ultimately, not just about Guangzhou—it’s about memory, belonging, and the effort to hold onto disappearing places.

This process has also made me rethink the role of the artist—not just as a documentarian, but as a translator of emotion. I hope the finished photo-book will speak to anyone who’s ever felt far from home and still deeply tied to it.

[ghostlymallow]

just thinking about my development of graphic design. even though i'm going to school for animation, I don't get many opportunities to practice graphic design

but the costober prompt list is something I look forward to designing

I designed a graphic for the costober prompt list for the past three years and

i think there's been marked improvement: my usage of space, color, contrast have improved, and I think I'm using pre-existing images in a smarter way. also, I know how to use photoshop now. that's useful

[ghostlymallow]

I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!!!!!!! (about three months late lmao)

I'll probably keep my ramblings short today because my brain's fried. (mostly burnout from school, but also I'm still processing the Rolling With Difficulty finale)

Decided to play around with some photomanipulation techniques I've been experimenting with. I swallowed my pride and finally downloaded photoshop since Krita's photomanipulation tools were acting funky (and that's not what Krita's designed to to anyhow)

I wanted to push the exaggerated nature of the pose in the shapes of the body, idk how successful I was. But I did play with simplifying the candles with good ole poly-lasso tool, which was nice.

I also decided to push the "camera" even more, using a canted angle on top of the super distorted pose. I played around with warping the bg into a fisheye effect, but that wasn't super successful. I think I'd have to plan that out more concretely if I really wanted it.

I also used a different approach to colour: blocking in values in greyscale then using a gradient map and some masking layers to throw some color back in. It's still super desaturated, but I think I'm satisfied with it, I think it fits with the mood of the piece.

I feel like there are still things I could "fix" with it. But I don't want this sitting in my to-dos for another three months lol. And for the most part, I am satisfied and happy with the photobashed effects, the smoke and mirrors are doing what I want them to.

If you're still reading this, go read Rodney R. Rodney! It's a delightfully charming and just plain fun comic, that is more than worth your time!

Go read that instead of listening to me rambling about lens choices or whatever nonsense I'm going on about (this is a loving jab at myself, and also you. why are you still here?).