Medium Specificity

 

I used a website called bomomo.com to create this piece. At first sight, it may look like a mess of lines, something that anyone could have created without any additional thought, even by a young child. That is probably the thing I love most about this medium: It harbors no expectations as to what art is or is not. It has a number of options for different brush strokes (all randomly generated within its own style). Some of the strokes have color, while others are monochromatic black and white. Some swirl and others create lines. It is all randomly generated, making it impossible to be too cerebral about it (probably my biggest downfall when it comes to art creation), as well as barring the possibility of creating the same piece twice.

As I was creating this, I used only the straight line generator (which chooses color and direction randomly but otherwise remains linear) and the one I can only call the 'vein maker' (originating from the click of the mouse and extending randomly outward in random lines and directions). I loved the contrast between the two generators: one colorful and linear, the other black and random. As I look at this piece as a whole, I see represented the way my mind works: creativity within boundaries, with webs of anxiety and second-guessing sprawling all about it. Even so, the colorful lines persist. It tells a story of perseverance and overcoming potential roadblocks and anxieties that so often get tangled up in the bigger picture. Even though it was created by a random generator, I am extremely proud of what I was able to create with this medium.

For most of my life, I have stubbornly told people "I can't draw" or "I'm bad at art". I know I wasn't alone in this fixed mindset either: we label each other at such a young age based on our 'inherent talents' which discourages exploration and learning in the long run. A good place to start is breaking down the definition of 'good' and 'bad' art, exposing students to a multitude of art styles, and encouraging "pointless" creativity (that is, creativity that will not be graded on a scale of how much it appeals to me or checks boxes). 

This website is definitely something I could see myself using in a classroom setting. Especially in theatre, it is so important to be able to go with your impulses and avoid pre-planning as much as possible. This medium can help that message hit home. Of course, as a medium of creating literal art (whether for a show or to represent character) it is extremely limited. Fortunately, there are countless other options if that is the goal of the virtual art creation taking place.