BFA, Studio Art (Digital Studio Practices with an Emphasis in Drawing and Painting)
A Window into my Mind
In my series “ A Window into my Mind”, I am exploring representations of maladaptive daydreaming. I personally experience them in my day-to-day life. I seek to represent my experience with these visions in a respectful, accurate way, because often this condition is misunderstood. Compared to other daydreams, mine can be extremely vivid– to the point that they are almost tangible in nature. Unlike normal imagination, maladaptive daydreaming takes a physical narrative. Instead of sitting silently with one’s thoughts, these vivid fancies take the form of whispering, pacing and even hand motions. Within my work, I show how intense visions can appear in this state, as well as how jarring it can be to shift between a maladaptive daydream, and a grounded reality.
I represent the daydreams in 2D animated GIFS (graphic interchange format). These animated images best show how my reality begins to distort into said fantasy and vice versa. Various sizes and styles of window shutters open to shed light onto what it’s like to experience the tangible imagery in everyday life.
Color plays a role distinguishing between what is real, and what is perceived in the mind. Somber tones of green represent life outside the daydream – a bit monotonous and cold. The warm hues of the daydream then appear, suggesting the comfort one has within them.
The girl (a representation of myself) resides in each animation while these color changes are happening. Her facial expressions convey how it feels to go through the cycle of the fantasy. When going into the fake reality, the girl becomes a bit anxious within her body movements. However, once the momentum of the imaginary world takes hold, the girl’s mood changes drastically. The same can be said for when she is suddenly jolted out of her fantastical thoughts, putting her back in her previous state, if not more downtrodden.
It is important to me that throughout this piece the viewer sees both the negative impact, as well as the beauty within the false realities being created
Digital Animation (2:40)
2022
