why illustration?

So i know its been a reaaaally long time since i wrote in my blog. I couldnt make it a regular thing because of inconsistent internet connections, but things have changed, DiGi has created the internet Sim Card which could connect to the computer through your phone. I cannot begin to explain my gratitude to the growth of technology throughout the years.yay!

Anyway the reason why i'm writing this post is because my English lecturer wanted me to write an essay as to why i chose Illustration as a major in my Diploma. Its funny how my other classmates only had to write in point form of their major course but i had to write an essay. Well im not really complaining, i like writing essays. especially when i can throw my lecturer off.ahahahaahaha.

She likes to give us essays to write, but ends up asking for less than a hundred words. how many paragraphs can you get out of that?i feel bad for my classmates because she dropped the standard so low that they don't try to raise the bar. i can understand that they feel awkward when they try to speak in English because they don't want to sound funny.Its like how i am self conscious whenever i talk in general.but we learn from each other,thats the good part.i have a classmate from Taiwan who speaks VERY VERY little English that i actually communicate with her through sign language. she's hell of a character. =D

so anyway, my lecturer felt bad for me cuz she sees potential in my writing when she read my first essay,so she raised the bar for me.id love to get your opinions so i could improve myself.thanks.

---------Why Illustration?---------

Throughout my 19 years of living on this planet, I have come to learn that I see art through my eyes. I have seen and experienced a lot in the art of living, loving, people, the beauty and the bad of everything, and with that I have learned to accept it with open arms. Theories and philosophies have come up in my head that I decided to pursue a Diploma in Illustration.

In a nutshell, Illustration is a cross between fine art and graphic design. It is more difficult to complete the course because of the workload and if an artist cannot handle that pressure, they could have the tendency of believing that they will have a short life before reaching the mid-life crisis phase. I am doing it to prove to myself that I am not a failure, nor am I a quitter, even though I have had a few minor and severe breakdowns, and have trouble controlling my procrastination issue.

I believe that Surrealism has played a big role in my life and in the way I see illustration. Surrealism is usually unexplainable in the form of a visual artwork, and highly likely not to be understood by the naked eye of the untrained mind. Therefore, the reason why I chose illustration is because it is the best way of expressing my art without offending the society that surrounds me, unless of course if it was an obvious controversial matter and my intentions were to offend them.

As my mind grows throughout the years, I learn to relate my philosophies in life with Illustration. For these philosophies to be revealed on a piece of paper is quite shameful really because society would not take much time into looking at it, but if you are a keen and curious reader then I shall continue writing. My first and main philosophy in life is to live it to the fullest and to learn to accept and appreciate everything including the “excrement” (don’t say sh**).

This first philosophy is the guide to learn other philosophies and to conclude your own different theories of life so you could achieve your “universal highness” – which is your subconscious sanctuary. Understanding this has made me realize that life has been neglected, abused, unloved, misunderstood, and above all, unappreciated. I cried on the day I made that discovery, and so I lied down by the lake and watched the sun rise as I looked at the different colours I could see. Somehow my soul, my mind, and my aura changed into a different colour and a new element was added to it. I found some peace in my mind that I learned to appreciate until today.

A big chain reaction of theories just started springing out of my mind as I learned to see things in every perspective possible, and just as I expected, the good and the bad began to creep its head out, and now I have to choose between “the magical, most self-gratifying” or “the logical, painfully blunt” answers whenever I ask a question. After discovering that, I learned to keep my mouth shut for a while and didn’t ask myself or anyone anything. But if you stop being a curious cat then you’re stopping your life there and at that very moment.

To see life in every perspective is a major challenge for everyone, because at the end of the day you would still have to make a one side decision, whether it is the right or the wrong it is still up to you. When one is fickle minded, that makes things a whole lot more difficult. My theory to make it simpler for myself is to follow the heart if it would lead you to happiness, and to follow your brain to protect it. It has helped me in most situations, although I still get annoyed with people if they can’t decide what to eat and ask for my opinion instead (it doesn’t help).

These theories and philosophies have an important meaning in my life, and it is to discover the truth behind everything. Everyone knows that sometimes the truth may hurt a lot, but I learned that the truth will set you free and it makes you a stronger person when you face more obstacles in the future. How are you to move forward if you keep avoiding the truth and make excuses for everything bad that happens in your life? I won’t be a hypocrite and say that I have never or stopped making excuses for myself, but the fact that I have made a self realization about this, I already have moved 2 steps forward.

If I were to write all my theories and philosophies I might have to hand in a short story and you would lose the idea as to why I chose Illustration as a major in my Diploma in the first place. You see, Illustration is like any other painting, sculpture, or a masterpiece, but still expressed personally instead of handing the artwork in the hands of technology/computers which mankind have often succumbed to after they learned that there is an easier way out. I choose my hands as my medium to express my art, my truth to society if they could read, or understand it.

I have never been ungrateful to any critique I have received in my life for as long as I could remember because not everyone could learn to appreciate and accept my art. That’s the beauty of it, because you learn to appreciate the truth, to empathize people, and to have thick skin when you think that the dog is biting hard. It has not turned me into a heartless wench; I am still emotional and sensitive, just more cautious of the obstacles in life. This is not the end of my lesson, it is merely the beginning. It is my guideline to reach universal highness, and to live life to the fullest.