Week 2

Why is the big idea that you chose important? (to you and others?)

The big idea that I chose was identity, and of course it is important. Identity has everything to do with who someone is, why they think the way that they do, and what made them become that way. But, that is if you are only referencing people. There are plenty of other ways that identity can come into play. Identity can be about the past and the future of objects. It can be about how something is different from everything else in a group. It can be about something as simple as preferences, or as complex as personal growth. 

Identity jumped out to me as my big idea because my entire thesis this year is about the safe places for people - what do people wear and where to people go to feel most at home and most safe? This is not the same for every single person alive, in fact, it's not the same for people even within the same family. Personal safety is a very complex thing. People have stated to me that they feel most safe when they are driving their boat,  when they are standing in front of a movie theater, or when they are standing in Belle Isle Conservatory. They could be in a field or in their bedroom. No two answers are alike because no two people are alike. 

Identity could also have something to do with advertising. Don't most brands have one? Having a unique brand is pivotal to making people choose one product over another. Most advertisements have something to do with how a product makes you a better person or will complete your life. 

I made the images above because I was playing with the idea of inanimate objects having an identity, for example, a house. (This is the front of my dad's, not that it's important, ha!) Is a house going to have the same exact functions or "personality" if it is in a field, or in a neighborhood, or on a beach? Does the season that the house is seen play a part? What makes a house a "home"? Is it simply the people inside of it, or does the walls and surrounding area play a part too? These were all questions I was thinking about while I was gluing myself together (and the paper), and honestly, I came no closer to real answers. There has to be a reason why people chose one house over another, when the houses are very similar. Most of the time, it is based on personal preference, but it must be based on a gut feeling, too. And where does the gut feeling come from? 

This is turning into a much bigger set of questions than previously anticipated. But, my statement still stands. Identity is a big idea that can be applied to almost any situation and connected to any kind of artwork.