Molly Goodman ~ Senior (Art V) ~ Maggie L. Walker Governor's School
Growing older has made me aware of certain aspects of my life that are different for me than they are for men. This awareness has come with distress and anger at the injustices women and girls suffer because of their gender and/or sex. As I find it easier to express myself with visuals and written word than with spoken word, making art has become my preferred method of speaking out. I aspire to be a better feminist and overcome the negative internalized worldviews that society has implanted in me; while I have overcome a lot of those, I will always be in a position to improve. It is my hope that making art helps this improvement process along.
Every creative decision I make depends on my content. Nearly every detail of my pieces can be tied to the content in some way. I do still tend to use a combination of the same materials: pencil, colored pen, colored pencil, Sharpie, acrylic paint, and (sometimes) fabric, although lately I have moved towards acrylic paint due to its richer color and smoother texture. I select techniques based on what suits the content best. Starting a piece can take a long time depending on what bursts of creativity I have. Once started, it usually does not take me too long to finish as I tend to work fast once focused intently. My themes always tie back to my main content, but they change slightly based on events happening around me; this has been especially true for the past few months as I have attempted to make sense of and recover from a recent traumatic event in my personal life.
At the very beginning of last year, I intended to draw realistic figures. However, the decision to stick with my current style, combined with my desire to make my art both personal and universal, led to my recent work. My technique with paint is still improving, but I am pleased with my progress so far. My art has become a reflection of my feminist views and it grows and improves as my feminism improves. Because I am in a privileged position among women due to such intersections as skin tone and social class, and worry that my privilege prevents me from accurately portraying the experiences of female minorities, I strive to make my portrayal of “female experience” more universal. However, I hope that as my understanding of the world expands, I can make art that advocates for more specific female experiences without coming across as offensive or condescending. Even though my latest art is intentionally more personal than universal due to its reactionary content, it can still be applied in a universal context. I have immensely enjoyed making art that combines my personal life with a universal outlook, and I intend to continue this trend in whatever art I make after high school.
Every creative decision I make depends on my content. Nearly every detail of my pieces can be tied to the content in some way. I do still tend to use a combination of the same materials: pencil, colored pen, colored pencil, Sharpie, acrylic paint, and (sometimes) fabric, although lately I have moved towards acrylic paint due to its richer color and smoother texture. I select techniques based on what suits the content best. Starting a piece can take a long time depending on what bursts of creativity I have. Once started, it usually does not take me too long to finish as I tend to work fast once focused intently. My themes always tie back to my main content, but they change slightly based on events happening around me; this has been especially true for the past few months as I have attempted to make sense of and recover from a recent traumatic event in my personal life.
At the very beginning of last year, I intended to draw realistic figures. However, the decision to stick with my current style, combined with my desire to make my art both personal and universal, led to my recent work. My technique with paint is still improving, but I am pleased with my progress so far. My art has become a reflection of my feminist views and it grows and improves as my feminism improves. Because I am in a privileged position among women due to such intersections as skin tone and social class, and worry that my privilege prevents me from accurately portraying the experiences of female minorities, I strive to make my portrayal of “female experience” more universal. However, I hope that as my understanding of the world expands, I can make art that advocates for more specific female experiences without coming across as offensive or condescending. Even though my latest art is intentionally more personal than universal due to its reactionary content, it can still be applied in a universal context. I have immensely enjoyed making art that combines my personal life with a universal outlook, and I intend to continue this trend in whatever art I make after high school.
