So far this year, the end products of these projects were definitely my favorites to watch. Though a couple fell kind of flat for me, it was really refreshing to see how everybody affably (I feel like I use that word a lot–I’m sorry, it’s just such a good word!) approached what had the potential to be an awkward situation with a good sense of humor that really showed through in the videos presented. It was possibly the first critique that had my attention the entire time–For the most part, the pieces that came out of this project were hilarious, interesting, and insightful.
With my piece, I learned first off, even if you don’t like your idea, don’t change it three days before the project is due. That is a dumbass move. As someone who takes awhile to warm up to people, I was reminded that it really isn’t all that difficult to approach people, nor is it hard to converse with them–something I realized when twice, this project lead to me sitting down and sharing coffee and chatting with a few people while they sketched. Another girl who contributed hugged me goodbye when I left.
I think perhaps what intimidated the most about conducting a social experiment that required getting the public to create a work of art is this: Even when I have a clear-cut vision and am the sole force behind an art project, things never go according to plan, and it is rare that the end result is what I had originally envisioned. So if art is so unpredictable in my own hands, what would it be like in the hands of several strangers?
While it might be awhile before I do something like this again, I wouldn’t mind embarking on a project like this somewhere down the line. This project made me think of one summer when my sister and two best friends got obsessed with going on capers, and makes me want to plan more.
