[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_2plXJrjV0]
Recently, I stumbled upon “CatCreature” on YouTube. I cannot remember how I found her; maybe it was her dorm room tour that lured me in at 4AM when I could not fall asleep, having taken a long nap just a few hours earlier. I do know her name is Annabelle, she might be a year or two years older than us, and she’s an art student at Rhode Island School of Design. She often makes vlogs, short clips of the things she does in her daily life compiled into a single video with the aid of some editing, possibly for her family across the country in California.
Other than her interesting vlogs (which I have watched the majority of by now), this sketchbook entry video was the third video of her’s that I watched and the one that left the biggest impression on me. It got me thinking: paintings that we see in museums and works in galleries have no voice.
We are often left to dig up what the artists’ were thinking with the pieces of evidence they have aligned like a trial in the woods, scattered and unspoken of. I like hearing what is going on in an artist’s mind and seeing it drawn out. In this video, Annabelle sketches and talks about a hike she went on with her biological father, using soft background music and her voice to re-express her thoughts with emotion and feeling so viewers can empathize. You can tell she does not have the best relationship with him and she does her best to mend the broken relationship, but she acknowledges that some things are meant to be out of her control.
There is a part when she says, “I felt this remorse that I should have done things differently. That the last time I saw him, I didn’t have to cut our hike short. That maybe we could have spoken more.” She sounds unsure when suggesting that she did not have to cut the hike short and I thought it was so beautifully said and it was something that hit home.
She ends the entry with a beautiful outlook on life. Something that touched me and maybe something I could learn from so I can learn to let go because some things are out of my control. “The hike we went on had lots and lots of wildflowers, and it makes me think. I think they’re my favorite. You can choose to love it for what it is, or you don’t have to appreciate them at all, and they’re just weeds. I think there’s something so beautiful about the arbitrariness, the untamed and unpredictability of nature. And it’s when we choose to embrace it, do we truly know its beauty.”
Art and works we can empathize with and relate to always have the biggest impact.
vickilau
September 4, 2017 — 10:37 pm
When I first clicked play, I was expecting the typical YouTuber vlog – someone standing in front of a camera, being a smiley and going about their day. However, that wasn’t what I got; instead, I got something that was more heartfelt. I definitely agree that the background music, her voice, her story, and the video itself, all those things combined somehow appeal to people and as a result, it’s something that we can empathize with.
At the beginning of this video, I didn’t expect to learn about a girl’s struggling relationship with her father, but I did. And it sort of left a haunting feeling in me when she said she dreamt he had died.
People say you feel something when you look at art. When I look at art in museums, I go, “Oh okay, that’s weird” or “You can really see the emotion in his/her face.” Here, it really hits a bit harder. I’d never considered vlogging a form of art before, but this video, this vlog in itself, is a work of art. And as I like to thing, all art makes you feel something.
My comments/thoughts are literally all over this place but I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really love this piece.
Elaine Pun
September 12, 2017 — 2:36 am
I honestly had a lot of trouble trying to get the right words to describe how I was feeling throughout the video. You used “heartfelt” and took the words right out of my mouth. That was just the right word I was looking for. I think watching the video really speaks for itself. The tone of her voice, the dark colors she uses at first before painting more greens over them and bringing it back to life – every detail was there and it was truly a work of art.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
kiarapagan
September 5, 2017 — 9:09 pm
I love when I watch something and it gives me goosebumps. That’s how I felt while watching this. With this video she was so raw, not only by talking about her personal life but also by sharing her artwork that has maybe been a coping or escape mechanism for her. It was so raw and moving. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Elaine Pun
September 12, 2017 — 2:41 am
Something personal, something so deep, usually taboo and too secretive to talk about, being conveyed is always so much more moving. I share the same feelings as you did watching the video and it’s interesting you point out it might be a coping mechanism for her! We’ll never know the answer to it but both her and her sister are art students and extremely talented. Their mother is also interested in fashion and always changing it up to discover new things through color, textiles, etc. so it may be the genetics instead!
Thanks for reading and commenting!