Hindsight is 20/20
Hindsight is 20/20. This is the main theme of my Awakenings collage. It is formatted to look like a postcard to my past self, as it is addressed “Dear Me” and it features a stamp in the upper right hand corner, which pictures a graphically created image of a movie set. I used this image because movies influences my life very much as I was growing up and also because movies represent the mass media, which plays a big part in everyone’s life. My awakening is one that relates to beauty, both inner and outer, and also the development of a consciousness of self.
The girl in the lower left hand corner represents myself, and her reading a magazine symbolizes how much of an effect reading and trends have influences my life. I think that mainstream culture is inescapable, and that is why I have included numerous slogans and ideas of the media, including consumerism (note the money signs on the eyelashes, the cosmetics pointing towards the girl’s head, and the fragrance sample) as well as superficiality (as shown by the magazine cover and the outer beauty quote). These images show that consciousness of one’s self develops not only as a personal experience, but also a generalized one, because there is often one widely popular concept of beauty.
The right side of the postcard concentrates on the self-consciousness caused by the attraction to the opposite sex. It shows how ridiculous the media can get when playing on young girls’ doubts (like the “Future Husband” Ad I found), the excitement of having crushes (shown by the plastic light up heart) and also the calm that follows the frenzied boy searching (as shown by the picture of the couple walking into the sunset).
Finally, the text “add your difference” and “today’s the day and never forget it” is advice to my former self on how to cope with the changes that are occurring in my life. The slightly sarcastic “New Breakthrough Rules of Life” caption warns my younger self against succumbing to mass culture. And finally, the large, slowly enlarging word “Beautifearless” (a word of my own creation) is a manifestation of both the past and the present. It allows myself to be both fearless and bold without being reckless.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:20 am
I think your collage is very strong representation of what you’ve described your life to be. I really loved the way you fitted little notes to yourself in your collage that are so well blended with the images that I almost missed the “Beautifearless” until I read your paper. I completely agree with you when you talk about how society has been completely commercialized and how its getting harder and harder to avoid these trends. You make really great points in your paper and your collage is just beautiful!
December 19th, 2007 at 11:59 am
I think the postcard format of your collage is very unique. The way you combined images and words really made the collage beautiful and helped enhance its message. The phrases “add your difference” and “today’s the day and never forget it” emphasize confidence and individuality and I think that the phrases truly add to the collage. Your work is very creative. Wonderful job!