Into the Mind of the Beholder

 This piece is entitled, “Into the Mind of the Beholder” because everyone conforms to society in one way or another. Society is going to try to tell you who you are, what you should be, and why. Yet, the artwork is meant to educate and call out people who fall too deeply into the social norms that are ideal to society. This is an opening of the mind displaying the happiness that can exist in the truest self versus the more subdued version of us being depressed and anxious according to the everyday expectations of others. This isn’t to say you cannot have mental health struggles while living part one, but in my experience the pressures of this world create more struggles than when I am living my life for my true self. 

This digital art piece tells the story of social conditioning. Social conditioning takes place in every society and through every aspect of life. I find that the true individual self is often lost or subdued by societal influence, expectations, and interactions. This effect is not necessarily evil or good, but just is. Sadly, as one conforms to society one also experiences a muting of personality and a flattening of the true self. This two part series depicts a fiction that represents the dulling and flattening of the true unique individual that societal conditions encourage and even enforce. The female figure is seen at two different ages with the top of her head open as if we are looking into her mind. 

Part one projects an adventurous environment of childlike individualism. This first image is very detailed, colorful and dimensional representing a child who is inspired with passions, adventures, and imagination that bubbles out beyond those of society. The depth of detail and bright colors in this piece represents a character filled with individual ideas, creativity and happiness.

In contrast, the second part is grayscale and flat, depicting a person influenced and dulled by society and therefore depicted with an environment that is submerged in the waters from the pitcher that is societal influence. This flat, colorless image represents a time where the true self is subdued under the outer shell that succumbs to be like everyone else. The depth and details presented in the artwork represents character, so in the second piece we see the loss of character that occurs under the influences of this world’s social expectations. 

Emotions are reflected by color palettes in each of the works, for example the colors in part one are bright and cheerful and bring on happy and creative emotions, but the grayscale in part two reflect depression and sadness. The color dulling reflects the same conflict as the depth and detail in each piece. In addition, the pitcher of water at the top of artwork two represents society and all its ideals, expectations and influences that push us to be like everyone else, suggesting that there is a certain way people should be. It does not have to be like this. Individuality is what keeps imagination, passion, and unique perspectives alive. The ones who can succeed at understanding without succumbing to society are the ones who stand out and create change. Social conditioning isn’t necessarily the ‘bad guy’, but we need to understand how we are being conditioned so that we know there isn’t just one way to think. We need to balance society with our true self in order to find pure happiness.