Confesions of an artist. By Simone Asia.

Full spread of these amaizing images in Bassculture Islands no3.

‘I still found myself becoming ultimately bored…’

Before coming to this series I would say I had a lot of challenges. I am still facing challenges up to this point but they may be a bit more manageable than before. I had done a lot of concepts based on things to which I was attracted. Even though I was working with certain themes I liked, I still found myself becoming ultimately bored. The work never seemed interesting enough and I felt I needed to become more connected with my work. I realized that the problem was that those previous pieces were done by me but they were not of me.

My main difficulty started when I was trying too hard to finalize a solid concept. I was so concerned with trying to find concepts with deep intellectual meaning that it became forced and it slowed down my process. Unfortunately I suffered many mental blocks so eventually everything ceased.

‘I want to create my alternate reality; my hybrids within my own universe.’

My goal with my newer series was to be more honest than I was in my previous series. I wanted my work to connect to me as an artist. I gravitate toward ideas about science, the universe, dreams, the mind, experiences and analogies. I want to explore these ideas from my perspective and personal connection to them. I want to create my alternate reality; my hybrids within my own universe.

My use of detail is based on my belief that I had some type of OCD. My thoughts consume me and I also write a lot, but repetitively. I am very particular in my ways and at times I can be a bit of a perfectionist. The use of detail however, is not specifically linked to any series. I have been doing detail seriously for three years now and it has grown since then. I illustrate this way because even though it can be time consuming, it is a stress reliever. It puts me in a trance-like state where it eludes the concept of time. It also distracts me from my racing thoughts. Funny thing is, I am not a naturally patient person; but my work reveals the patience hidden in me.

‘..it is like I am subconsciously trying to put myself together.’

I connect or merge images and patterns together because it is a correlation of everything happening in my mind. The way I put them together is a manifestation of the way thoughts are processed in my brain- very random, scattered, juxtaposed but all interlinked. My perspective on myself is that I am broken; so when I put these images or patterns together, it is like I am subconsciously trying to put myself together.

I believe that an artist’s work should be a mirror for that artist; every time they see their work, they see themselves. Art should be honest; it should be a reflection of its creator. I want that. I want my identity to be reinforced and translated in my work. It does not take much to inspire me; I just need to experience something, whether negatively or positively.

‘…it highlights my obsessive nature and embodies the essence of my being.’

Personally, most of the time, the experience is solely about the feeling. If my feelings are intense toward a specific topic, evidently I am more inspired or inclined to produce. Things which inundate my mind are what usually inspire my moments of creativity.

Ultimately, I am an artist who strives on feeling. I do not believe that every piece of imagery in my work should have a connection or meaning within my overall concept. I do random patterns in my trance-like state. I do not believe I have control of my work in that moment. I like that because I tend to control things in my conscious state; my conscious state causes me to think. I try to avoid thinking most of the time because it tends to hold me back. I illustrate this way because it highlights my obsessive nature and embodies the essence of my being.

#mustsee #traditionalart