Exploring the question, “Who am I” I developed insights into my values, interests, and inspirations as an artist and person. Through lyrical essay writing, digital art projects, and new skills, I created work that was a genuine manifestation of me.
Art is a process. Thinking is a process. There were many moments where I’d get frustrated if I was struggling to use certain applications, I couldn’t quite figure out the color scheme for my mandala, or choose the best word to use in my personal essay. But once I prioritized authenticity over perfection, I started to enjoy the process much more.
My Personal Mandalas
The Mandalas below were created on Adobe Illustrator. Using a special clipping mask and automated transformations , I created the repeated designs.
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To answer “Who am I?” for this piece, I created a mandala inspired by art that was a meaningful part of my childhood. The big eyes, eyeliner, and dots drawn on the woman’s face in the center are commonly present in traditional illustrations of South Asian women. I grew up learning about these traditional art styles and wanted to share my connection with my culture and family in my mandala.
The color scheme in my piece uses traditional South Asian textile colors of deep red and sandalwood. I intended for the red to symbolize passion and strength, inspired by the many women in my life, and for the sandalwood to be a warm addition to the red. Working with color allowed me to make my mandala more visually engaging and interesting. Different colors allowed for visual representation of deeper meanings, which I wanted to reflect in this design with my color harmonies.
Other reflections about my colored mandala include being comfortable with imperfection. I purposely drew frizz around the woman’s face to show the beauty in natural texture, which I’ve learned to love in my own hair. Additionally, I kept my repeated shapes in the mandala design very organic and natural. Learning how to make mandalas in Adobe Illustrator wasn’t just a fun and helpful new artwork skill, it was also the perfect project to take time for self-reflection. When I got to see the printed version of my Mandala, I was proud of my design and the fact that I had a tactile product to share with my family. Wherever it will be placed in my home, I’ll be reminded of finding the beauty in imperfection.
To answer “Who am I?” for this piece, I thought of how I have come out of my shell at Freestyle as an artist and writer. Furthermore, I wanted to create something representing the fond memories I have of spending time along the coast in India with my grandparents and family. This piece includes abstract motifs of shellfish, fish, and seashells, illustrating the belief that like these sea creatures, I have learned to celebrate authenticity inside my own “shell” and outside of it. The central image of a fish holding a lotus is included to honor my memories of admiring fish with my grandparents and the lotuses that flower in their pond each year.
Using drawing tablets and digital brushes in Illustrator allowed me to create abstract strokes and designs. But what I valued most about this project was learning how to create a clipping mask and template to repeat designs. It was amazing to see Illustrator has the capacity to make beautiful things in such straightforward ways.
What I love most about this BW mandala is that I could showcase myself, my love for my family, and my design ideas all in one captivating geometric design. Mandalas actually originate from where I’m from, India, so having the tools to digitally create them makes me even more excited to create new designs to share with others and learn an art form from my culture.
My initial reaction to seeing the final laser engraved mandala from my black and white design was relief. Initially, I was worried that the details in my design wouldn’t show up on the silver, but they turned out very clear.
I felt that silver plastic would be best for my black and white mandala design because the silver reminded me of fish scales which are part of my sea creature mandala design. Overall, working with Illustrator to create my mandala and then seeing it turn into a physical product was rewarding. Not only did I learn new technical artistic skills, but I could actually hold the work I produced, which meant a special human and personal significance to me.
Overall, I value how this project challenged me to tell my story through a unique art form and style. To answer the question “Who am I,” I realized I didn’t just answer this through my mandala, rather, it was the process of creating and making mistakes that engaged me in the self-reflection this question prompted.
Mandala Build Reveal Video
Below is a video of my build process for my black and white mandala.
I really enjoyed learning how to create mandalas using Adobe Illustrator. Personalizing them made the whole process even more meaningful.
Why I Write
The “Why I Write” Essay is a personal reflection centered around my journey of discovering my passion for writing. I enjoyed reading and studying personal essays such as Positive Obsession, by Octavia Butler, and Why I Write, by George Orwell, both of which are insightful, genuine narratives about motives for writing that guided me throughout my essay-writing process. My essay follows my path from my early childhood aversion to writing, my values as a poet and student-journalist, and how ultimately, I found my voice through writing.
Below, is a recording of me reading my essay.
Core Values Production
This video highlights my core values as a person. My goal was to balance technical and artistic choices to incorporate a variety of effects and animations while experimenting with colors and music to convey different feelings. I used purple and yellow because they are one of my favorite complimentary color combinations. Although technical aspects focus more on the nuts and bolts of the design, like location and timing, artistic qualities added a more personal and aesthetic appeal to the overall production.