Drifting
Vision Statement
The inspiration and meaning behind this self-portrait are not singular in nature. In addition to this, I discover more personal meanings in the piece the more time I spend with it. Despite this, there are two main ideas that I try to convey. The first is the interconnectedness of life. Humans rely on the earth for life, and for thousands of years, humans have survived by living solely off of nature. There is also the idea of life (via the living person) and death (via the driftwood); the existence of one relies on the existence of the other. The second idea that is conveyed in this piece relates to mental health. This drawing shows me turning into the driftwood as if I was disappearing. It’s a serene loneliness. This idea of mental health is also touched upon in the title of “Drifting.” Many with mental health issues feel as though they are drifting through life and drifting from others. While its title is inspired by the driftwood, it is also reflected in the facial expression and the interaction of elements in the composition. While these two ideas are not the only inspirations and meanings for the piece, they are the ones that I focused most on during the process of creating it.