Boundless
What made me want to create Boundless is the need for me to process my pandemic experience. The pandemic is a time of awareness for what it means to be an individual. In this self-portrait, I painted myself in the same clothes most would wear during the pandemic, sweats. Having nowhere exciting to go, most during this time are stuck in the same rooms all year long. I am painted alone and surrounded by scenes of isolating events around the world. Creating this work helped me to fully realize what I felt and what others may relate to during these difficult times. The last year was filled with one devastating news story after another. Every day, I would watch news videos on my phone. It would start with news of a protest, then it would be something happening in politics, and then an update about the high numbers of people in the ICU. I scroll through the comment sections of these news feeds and expect people to have hopeful thinking. It’s not all that because the amount of negative news has hurt so many. By choosing what to display in this piece, I had to research the pandemic's major events. In doing so, I came to realize how much the news and social media can effect my mental health.
