Bloom

Systems and Models is a STEAM course talking about Psychology and studies people from the outside in and from the inside out. The first unit was called Individual; I learned about personality assessments, and took a few of them to better understand myself. The purpose of this Action Project was to understand all the information I learned about myself and create that into a self portrait. I enjoyed this project very much; I learned more about myself. Creating myself portrait was my favorite part. I didn’t have any troubles; it came out nicely and went smoothly I’m proud of my artwork. I hope you enjoy.

Bloom. Created by JV, 2016.

Creating my artwork was relaxing and I felt calm. I used to paint a lot when I was younger, but since then I haven’t really had time. I used watercolor paint, watercolor paper, glitter, and construction paper. My portrait is 8 ½ in by 11 in. I’m all throughout my portrait; I show myself through the flowers, petals, branches, and every detail represents me and has a meaning behind it. For my portrait, I chose a Cherry Blossom tree because its my favorite plant. I also chose this tree because it starts blossoming in Okinawa, Japan, during January which is my birthday month. The branch starts at the left end of the painting and the flowers are dark representing my past, showing the old me. There are petals falling that shows how I avoid situations and how I like to be by myself. It also shows how I give up sometimes, but I can also pick myself back up and grow a new flower: a new me. Naturally, I am private and solitary. I like to be invisible until I’m ready to reveal myself. I see myself as intense, unexpected, original and different from others. To show that, I added different shapes of cherry blossom flowers. I prefer to play the role of detached observer and investigator. As the branches grow and new flowers start blooming, new colors appear showing how I change a lot, showing my different moods and actions. The brighter flowers show how I'm growing and becoming a woman; I added glitter on some flowers to represent the girly side of me. The small branches and small flowers that haven’t bloomed yet shows the new up coming paths in my life. The branch doesn’t have an ending because I’m still living and learning. I have so much time and so much more to experience ahead of me. I want my portrait to show how delicate I am, but also how strong I am too. I don’t give up. 

I interviewed my art teacher to know how important an artist statement is. One of my questions that I asked her was; How important is an artist statement? Her response was “I believe an artist statement is very important for a number of reasons. I think it is important to have insight into the artist’s background in order to connect with and understand their work. I think sharing the artist’s intentions allows the viewer to see something in the work that they didn’t initially see.” I agree with my teacher; I want my artwork to provoke individualism, and calmness.

I took many personality and psychological tests, but the two that explained me well was the DISC personality model and the Enneagram personality test. For the Enneagram test, I got type 5 which is; which is the Observer, Investigator, Thinker, Sage or Voyeur. One of my strong suits is attention. I like observing the world, hiding or withholding to protect myself and gathering information for the purpose of knowing and understanding. I am studious and scholarly; I develop expertise in any area that is of interest to me. I believe that knowledge is power. I believe all of that shows through my art work nicely. On the Enneagram test result I got; “You are private and introspective, although others may think of you as anti-social, secretive, remote, and eccentric.” It’s scary how a test you take on your computer can tell you so much about yourself. Growing up I was always made fun of because of how quiet I am. I like being by myself and in my own head, I like how this test explained me so well. For the DISC personality test my main four factors are dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance. “Dominance: describes the way you deal with problems, assert yourself and control situations.” That is hands down the truth. I like being in control. In my portrait, I have bold colors that shows my dominance. My favorite personality test was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality inventory, one of the most popular assessments around the world. This test explained me the best, I had goose bumps when I was reading my results. My personality type is INTP; which is the Logician. “Logicians are known for their brilliant theories and unrelenting logic – in fact, they are considered the most logically precise of all the personality types. People with the Logician personality type tend to share thoughts that are not fully developed, using others as a sounding board for ideas and theories in a debate against themselves rather than as actual conversation partners.” Logicians love patterns; in my portrait the flowers are my patterns.

I know I can relate to many people in this world with the type of personality I have. One of my classmates was also a type 5 and so was my teacher. I think it’s interesting how the 3 of us got the same behavior type, but we are all very different. Albert Einstein was also a type 5; he was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He came up with the theory of relativity he was a true genius and changed the world. Albert Einstein found his passion and I hope I can find my, to one day. I enjoy pushing myself to keep changing and growing. I learned about the Marshmallow test, it teaches kids how to have self control. I have a lot of self control, I am willing to work hard, and wait for a bigger reward in the future.


Citations:

"16 Personalities."16personalities.com. Isabel Briggs Myers. 2011. Web. Jan 13, 2017.

"Personality Test." enneagram.net. Katherine Chernick Fauvre and David W. Fauvre. 1997. Web. Jan 13, 2017.

"DISC Personality Test." 123test.com. N.D. 2017. Web. Jan 13, 2017.