I wanted to symbolize a euphoric utopia through my photos and composition. I chose pictures from instances in my life where I felt extremely happy and, through my composition, created what I consider my utopia. The castle was from a monument in Venice, one of my most treasured travels and experiences. The dancing figures are my best friend Janya's silhouettes as she danced in the waves at sunset in Halfmoon Bay. The balloons were released in the sky on New Years when I vacationed in the Bahamas, one of my favorite memories as my favorite people were with me. The butterflies were actually one butterfly but different shots of it from a video I had taken on a camping trip in the Trinity Alps, truly one of the most serene and beautiful places. And lastly, the background is my favorite picture I have ever taken from a sunset flight from Paris to London.
Through this project, I grew as an artist by challenging myself to use my photos rather than taking pictures from the internet. I struggled a great deal with choosing these elements and how I would place them but grew as a Photoshop user in the process. The idea I had envisioned initially also didn't work out as well as I hoped, and I discovered that I had to improvise as I went. I learned that although my piece may not have come out as clean and real looking as I wanted it to, I took a risk that I was proud of and truly represented me not only as an artist but as a person. If I could change anything, I would likely add more shadows to solidify a light source and add brightness where necessary after. I think I could attempt this using the brush tool, something I've grown rather adept at using.
I am proud of my ability to think outside of the box and create something that has so much significance to me as a person, something I always want to incorporate into the work I produce. I will take this idea and incorporate it into future work, making sure to put as much of myself into my art as possible. I think this has changed the way I see others' art in that I don't truly know what the intent is behind people's work and what lies in their inspiration as I had so much of me in mine, I'm sure others do the same, and I'm just unaware of it. I will now create stories more through other art even if they are inaccurate to the artist; it could be a wonderful experience to imagine.
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