anaphia

Throughout this course/semester I’ve learned a lot about how I work as an artist. I realized that I really rely on deep diving into research in order to build my ideas. When exploring anaphia, I started with literal ideas of “loss of touch”, mostly looking into medical correlations, but over time my ideas evolved into looking more into connection through memory, communication, material, and technology. I learned that my process isn’t linear AT ALL, in fact I tend to rethink a lot of my ideas and wonder if people will relate or even understand my concepts. I definitely spiraled a lot and shift directions before things started to fully make sense.

I think that the most difficult part for me was definitely connecting my research to my design outcomes in a clear way. My mind had a bunch of ideas, but trying to communicate it in a way that relates back to the meaning of anaphia definitely was a struggle. I also struggled with time management since I kept changing directions. I don’t regret switching directions at all as those shifts actually helped me land on much stronger concepts.

What I enjoyed most about this course was the freedom to explore different formats of art that I hadn’t worked with before. Throughout the term, I was exposed to building structural models out of wood, experimenting with different paper prints, and carving acrylic sheets; all things I hadn’t really explored in my four years at OCAD. I feel really lucky that I chose to take this course in my final year, because I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try these things otherwise.

I would say my performance was strong overall, but definitely a process. There were moments in the term where I felt like I wasn’t getting much done, or where I felt burnt out from having so many ideas but struggling to execute them the way I wanted. Even though that was frustrating at the time, I think it pushed me to keep going and make my work better. Looking at my final outcome, I can see a lot of growth compared to where I started.

If I could do it again, I would trust my ideas earlier and commit to a direction sooner instead of overthinking and restarting. I definitely think that overthinking was my #1 roadblock within my process of creating. While overthinking got me where I am now with my project, I do think that if I stuck with my original ideas I would have enough time to refine it to its fullest potential.

This course was definitely an eye opener for sure. I never would’ve thought I would be a conceptual artist as I never really produce conceptual graphics. Although, I’m glad to know I’m capable of doing so.

Signing off,

For my 4D piece, I incorporated audio as a way to extend the concept of anaphia beyond the visual. I wrote a poem that reflects key ideas explored throughout my project, including AI, crown shyness, and the relationship between human connection and world. It focuses on closeness and proximity without actual contact. I also wanted to emphasize the importance of human tenderness and being surrounded by things that grow with us, like the trees.