Artist Statement:
Generally speaking, my work is about exploring the many impulsive ideas that come to my mind. I originally planned for my project to be about ADHD and its effect on Art. I soon changed my focus to using art to create calmness. I was looking at how art can calm the mind of those with ADHD and its artistic results. Ultimately, I realized that all of my Ideas were very Impulsive, I was more interested in having the next big idea rather than with following through on the current one. I am an artist with ADHD and I realize, after doing this research, that I am very Impulsive.
I have always been fascinated how others express themselves in artistic ways and thinking of others with ADHD being successful in the world of art inspires me to continue to work hard. I always believed that I was able to come up with incredible ideas, however, I had always noticed—sometimes years later—that I was unable to complete a specific body of work. Every time I began to explore an idea, a new one would pop up in my mind, diverting my attention and leading me down a different path. For a long time, my impulsive nature seemed like a burden, but I have embraced my impulsivity and now use it in new and creative ways. My impulsivity can be joyful due to the amount of ideas I can create, which I can focus on here and there as each rise to the surface. One of the techniques I have used to create my work include taking note of my impulsive, and random thoughts. When I come up with something that I would like to do, I follow my ideas as far as they take me. For most of my ideas there is no clear end point, so I recorded interesting ideas knowing that, once recorded, they could be revisited when I was ready to focus on it. Another tool I discovered was that by mixing my love of music with this recording process, I was able to pace out my thoughts and slow down my process. The meter and beat of the music set the rhythm of my thought, and the use of rhyme and poetry, helped lock the ideas deeper in my memory. It was in the middle of all this recording of idea making that I realized that I was making art too. The recordings were a auditory expression of my impulsivity, wandering from idea to idea, allowing them to flow through me, like a meditation. The work I created now exists in the mind of the listener, and not on a painted canvas or a piece of clay.
I hope my audience will take away the understanding that we all are impulsive. I would like my audience to see the world from my point of view, to view this project with an open mind. I want them to know and understand that it is okay to not follow through on every idea, but to take note of it and see that being impulsive, properly managed, can be developed and become something more meaningful if you allow it.
Capstone Presentation: