Author's statement on larger collection from which this image is taken:
I chose to examine the label pessimist. Even though I enjoy having fun and consider myself to be a mostly positive person, people have often told me that I can bring out the worst of a situation, that I seem to focus on only the bad of a situation. I personally think of myself as a realist, but agree that I can be obsessed with negativity at times. I chose to use the English Oxford Dictionary’s philosophical definition of pessimist.
“A person who believes that this world is as bad as it could be or that evil will ultimately prevail over good.”
-The Oxford Living English Dictionary
This definition seemed to resonate with me. It embodies some of the anxiety that I experience in my pessimistic episodes, however, it does not explain what that person does with pessimistic beliefs. Many of my beliefs and tendencies stem from nihilism. Over the years I have embraced my own personal philosophy on the matter. I understand that many of my beliefs are that of a nihilist, yet I embrace the empowerment of nothingness, and the opportunity that existential freedom gives me. I now consider myself to be an existential nihilist.
My collages are meant to appear dark and depressing on the surface, but hold some optimistic deeper meaning. It is meant to reflect how society can miss-interpret conscious concerns of a realist as the ramblings of a pessimist. Even though I have selected the word pessimist, my piece is tailored to inspire, despite the dark appearances. I have also arranged them in a way that depicts my growth throughout the years.
All of the images I have used are from the Flickr commons page, which I found to be particularly useful. The bulk of editing was done in Photoshop. Photoshop was particularly useful on the piece with the lettering across the man’s face. The text editor has an arch function that was made for my project. Below is a screen shot of my workspace during that project.
Author's statement on "The Looking Glass":
On a cursory glance, the piece seems to say that only the negative side of things is what is apparent. However, the choice of the glasses as a means of viewing the negativity is a cognizant choice. Glasses are a device by which we clarify our visual reality. Without glasses, there are crucial details that people who need glasses will miss. The glasses are representative of my personal need to understand that there are negative consequences or possibilities in even calm and serene environments. It also insinuates that I am living in the peaceful moment, yet am keeping in mind what can go wrong. I purposely looked for an image with calm and placid waters, and one with a stormy sea. Another thing to note is the fact that in the negative portion (the storm), there are actually some pretty hopeful things. Most of the clouds in the negative motion appear to be lighter, meaning that the storm is passing. Furthermore, the ship is not sinking, but rather dealing with the challenges affronted to it. This piece is meant to explain that even in calm settings, I can be troubled by the negativities of my foresight, but it also allows me to plan, and lets me live more securely in the moment.
