Marks of a Neurotic

Abstract

To know one’s self, the “real self”, without the distortion of an “idealized self” is quite a challenge in today’s society. Based on personal beliefs, social values, childhood experiences, and learned cultural values, individuals are forced to navigate through life abiding by certain stipulations while also being encouraged to be an individual. Do we really know and understand who we are? Can we truly be comfortable with who we are as individuals? How does this affect our ability to interact with others? As a visual artist, my work has become a public display of internal conflicts due to past experiences that result in emotional traumas to the personal psyche. This emotional build up has led me to develop a body of work that not only expresses me as an artist, but it becomes a therapeutic tool in my characteristic makeup.