Art Smart

“Art Smart” is an idea for a video I wanted to do for a long time. All my life, my insecurities of being “ less smart” for society because of my talent have been cut very deep within me, still being mindful of it to this day. While my friends had a real knack for calculus, I felt useless when the only thing that came naturally to me was merely “painting photoreallistic hands.” I further explored the topic of being smart in other areas as opposed to STEM fields in my Research Proposal Paper, I had an epiphany, where I was able to learn all of the amazing benefits art has for the development of youth, and the nurturing nature of it in communities and the world. I’ve always had so much fun editing videos, it has been a hobby of mine for some years, I saw this project as an opportunity to showcase my skills in an impactful way that connects with my “Don’t Let The Arts Die.” topic last unit.

I used my media for most of the video to develop my idea. For most of my High School Career, I tended to take videos of my artwork-making process. As portrayed in the video, I took many time-lapses, video vlogs, and technique videos on multiple occasions. A vast diversity of mediums I worked with over the years, for example: oil paint, acrylic, sewing, sculpture, and digital drawing. Alongside process videos, I incorporated many of my pictures. My scanned sketchbook pages, professional photography of my paintings, and screenshots of my “process portfolio” y turned in for my IB Visual Arts course. For this video to be successful, in regards to communicating my idea in an emotive way, I knew I had to incorporate an almost overwhelming amount of personal media, to accentuate personal connection. I wanted to showcase my “talent” in a way that I can’t unless it’s visually.

Aside from my videos, I used six outside sources, five of them being videos found on YouTube. It was an important choice to incorporate other people in the video because the concept isn’t about my relationship with visual arts, but showcasing “art-smartness.” The first video is an MRI screening of the development of a brain, I wanted to further connect the project with my research proposal paper, as there, I discuss the cognitive benefits of art education. Later, I show a colorized video of Frida Kahlo painting on a canvas. Kahlo has always been an immense inspiration to me, I believe she is a genius, of the way she creates such impactful symbolisms and color stories, and evokes so much emotion through them. To me, she is the embodiment of “art smart.” Next, I added the infamous clip of Bansky shredding his freshly-auctioned peace, I included this piece as a nod to how art is controversial and that is the beauty of it. Moving forward, Jackson Pollock practicing his dripping technique appears, Pollock is one of the abstract expressionism art movement fathers, and he also embodies being a force in the visual arts world. He is a testament to being able to create movement in society, as his work normalized creating art for the sake of the technique and process instead of final images. Lastly, an image of people lining up to take pictures of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum is shown, I chose to include this clip to portray how impactful art is ever-lasting and world-changing. I believe the inclusion of these clips gives my “Concept in :60” video more credibility, as it shows the importance of art not only from my perspective but the impact of it in diverse times and locations.

In the final choices for the video, I made other stylistic strategies to make sure my message was conveyed perfectly. I began by presenting the words "art smart" subtly, highlighting the reluctance people feel to admit they are artistically gifted. In contrast, I displayed "less smart" in bold, imposing font to symbolize t to symbolize how society makes it feel like artists are less smart and capable than engineers or other STEM fields. At the end of the video, I strategically synchronized the phrase "art smart, is still smart" in both the voiceover and text, creating a powerful and lasting impact, and ensuring the concept of the video came across. For the background music, I opted for a raw and exaggerated violin solo, not only to match the fast-paced change of media but also to spotlight a different facet of artistic talent beyond the visual realm. The voiceover was drawn from a journal entry I wrote after I finished my research paper, about the power of artistic people and my eagerness for the world to see it. I carefully balanced the violin to prevent either from overshadowing the other. Finally, I experimented with blending videos, overlapping opacities, and applying filters to infuse the video with an artistic and angsty feel, enhancing the overall thematic resonance. These choices were made to articulate a compelling narrative about the societal perception of artistic intelligence and the multifaceted nature of artistic talent.

In the culmination of "Art Smart: Concept in :60," I find myself reflecting on the transformative journey this project has represented for me. From deep insecurities arising from societal views on intelligence to a sense of pride in the significant influence of art on humanity. I feel a great feeling of success when I think back on this creative project since I was able to transform my struggles into a poignant and strong statement about how society views artistic intelligence. "Art Smart: Concept in :60" challenges and redefines society standards, demonstrating the transforming power of art through the complex integration of media, external sources, and artistic choices.