Under the Stairs

The concept of this project - to take everyday objects and use them in a different way - is one I was previously familiar with. I've participated in class projects like this before and they usually go one of two ways; they flow smoothly and turn out well, or they become forced and the final product suffers for it.

I feel that this project may have gone the second direction. After being given our materials (800 Q-Tips! What'll I do?!) the class discussed briefly how we should handle the collaborative part of it. We almost immediately went to something representational, which is normal. I think, though, that because we may have felt rushed to figure out what we were supposed to do, we went with something that was easy and not very interesting.

This is to say nothing of my personal struggle with my materials. A good deal of time, effort, and even some money (I had to buy tons of glue!) went into my particular part of the piece and I was still unable to accomplish anything that I found satisfactory.

If there is one thing I learned from this project, it is that good art really does flow from an internal place. I feel that there is a progression to the process of creating something and that process usually starts with a feeling or an idea, then gradually becomes more tangible as options are explored, materials are chosen, and work is completed. Perhaps this is just my own process and trying to work out of that order is difficult for me personally.

I honestly feel that with just a little more time for conception and execution, everyone, myself included, could have come up with something really fascinating. As it was, I thought the final product was charming but uninspired.