Awakenings

We all battle with the forces of good and evil. Sometimes, it is difficult to see which actions are deemed harmful and which are deemed positive. I believe that this is ultimately up to the person. In order to bring happiness and harmony to one’s life, a balance needs to be achieved between the two. In my collage project, I attempted to portray the struggling forces and a balance between the two extremes. All pictures and objects were set into the frame of a yin-yang, which symbolizes balance and universal unity.

When I began this project, I immediately decided that it must be created with authenticity. A print out of a yin-yang is cold, impersonal, and does not convey the necessary emotion. Instead, I created my own yin-yang out of construction paper. I cut out a circle from a standard piece of paper. Then I cut out half of the yin-yang on the white piece of paper and attached it over the black piece. Although this would give me a much more limited space, I felt that it would contribute to the overall effect of the collage.

On the dark side, I included the self-destructive and rebellious parts of my life. Each picture represents a quality or action that is not morally acceptable. The clock represents procrastination and a race against time. I attempted to make the clock to stand out since it is my most hated quality. The cigars, the lighter, and the bottle of vodka represent self-destructive habits that harm the body and mind. The cards represent gambling and a recklessness with money. The fighting represents the bursts of rage and violence within me. The tire represents speed, anger, and recklessness on the road. The game consol represents wasted time and an escape from reality, which in turn leads to depression and hopelessness. The donut represents gluttony and ignorance towards one’s body. Finally, the stack of condoms represent an abundance of sexual activity with no love or loyalty involved.

The white side represents passionate, meaningful, and productive parts of my life. I included the guitar because music is one of my greatest passions. Also, I made the “Armed With Knowledge” text stand out among the others because I believe that knowledge is power and has no limitations. Personal things such as family and love came close to each other. The formal dress shirt and stack of money represent my career goals. Also, the Wall St. sign near the stack of money represents my future and aspirations. The line up of food represents good health both physically and mentally. The globe represents awareness, a willingness to travel, and an appreciation of different cultures. The clouds represent faithfulness to religion and sustaining moral values. And last, but certainly not least, the hands over the cap represent the power of education and the control over my own life.

Elements of both sides are ubiquitous in my life. I believe that neither side can be fully eliminated without a sacrifice in happiness. If one lives too conservatively, his life is boring. If one lives over the edge, his life has no order. Instead, there should be a peaceful coexistence between the two. I believe that in order for one to be happy, there needs to be a balance. I try to balance my passions, ambitions, and morals with my rebellious, self destructive, and uninhibited life style. It is the battle and balance between these qualities that I try to depict in my collage.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 at 9:35 am and is filed under