Personal Statement

I started writing my personal statement by going through all of the questions on the Powerpoint on the VLE.
I answered the questions accordingly -

- I create my images because I love recreating forgotten trends and vintage themes

- Hidden depression is a common theme in my work, this is probably because of my own experiences and exposure to it.

- My work is different because it layers elements of contemporary and vintage fashions, beauty and commercialization over the top of depression disguising it as an everyday thing.

- My work raises questions as to why S.A.D is slightly over-looked when it comes to depression. It can be seen as a ‘less qualifying’ type of depression because it only strikes at certain times of the year and on certain days. Why is my depression not as legitimate as your depression and why are there ranks?

- My audience would be teenagers to young adults as this was the age where I was struggling with S.A.D myself and was confused as to what it was and why I was embarrassed to get help.

- My photographic technique disguises the depression in the images rather than communicates it. This is inspired by my own experiences of hiding my feelings at a young age because I felt as though my depression wasn’t truly depression and worth the time or money of getting help from a doctor.

When I looked back at my answers I realised I had information in there that I would have never of thought to even put in my artist statement. It was a great exercise to help me pin point what it is I like about photography and why I create my own images.

I chose to write in first person and not third as I feel it is more personal as I'm writing about myself.

My final statement -

Since the release of his book in 2012, I find myself permanently inspired by Richard Mosse’s Infra. The way he hides tragedy behind landscapes made fashionable through the use of unusual hues like magenta and cyan, is a huge inspiration in my own photography. By lacing elements of Alex Prager and Nadia Lee Cohen’s work into my own practice, it has become a mixture of cinematic fashion portraits infused with different aspects of realism; in particular, seasonal affective disorder. In an attempt to explore and understand my own feelings and experiences with Seasonal Affective Disorder, my current practice revolves around challenging the way seasonal depression is perceived by society. By juxtaposing elements of forgotten fashion trends and vintage themes against the emotive qualities of issues like S.A.D, I have disguised melancholy inside a flurry of colour and beauty, much like the everyday deception of depression. I try to challenge the way different depressions are stereotyped and ranked of validity in today’s society by hiding the obvious somber characteristics behind a mask of beauty and charisma.