Reflection and Planning: Final Exam post

For much of my time doing art, I have mostly stayed within the limits of what I thought I was capable of doing a good job at. I wasn’t necessarily stuck drawing the same thing over and over, as I did between the ages of 3-4 when I’d exclusively draw stick-unicorns in the same pose over and over, but the mediums I used to create were always normal, and I usually stuck to a particular cartoonish or semi-realistic style.

I think compared to all the art classes I’ve taken throughout 11 years of school, this one has pushed me the most out of my comfort zone. I’ve had to do much more realism and work with a wider variety of mediums. With that, I’ve definitely seen the greatest growth in my flexibility with what materials I use to create. I learned that a piece made with, say, mascara and eyeliner, is just as valid as a piece made with sharpie. When our sculpture project was introduced, I was planning to use clay. After seeing some of the more out-of-the-box things my peers were thinking about using, I resolved to instead build with sticks from outside. This seemed like a really cool idea, and I was surprised I hadn’t thought of it before. I just had not been pushed to consider anything other than what was expected to use. I also think that learning about some of the 20th century art movements inspired this—they were very unconventional.

Of course, with leaving the artistic comfort zone comes creating more amateur-ish work. Not because I’ve regressed as an artist or anything, but because I am a beginner in whatever new I try. The other day, when I was making one of my “head” projects, I attempted to use nail polish and other cosmetic materials. It turned out horrendous, as you will see when I document it. I think this is because trying to do art with things not intended for that purpose requires a lot more being careful, and I can be impatient sometimes. So I’ll try to be more precise with my art and not want it to immediately be finished.