Blog 2: Forming Self

What do you think when you think of "identity"? Do you ponder about your personality, your interests, or your ethnicity? Is it what you look like from the perspective of others, or is it something deeper?

Most people have watched "coming of age" films including The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Heathers, Mean Girls, and various others that depict your typical "high school clique" drama. Here, we see how media portrays the discovery of identity in youth culture. Solely based exclusively on interests, looks, or race, teens are subdivided into categories to be taken at face value. You are a "jock" if you play on a sports team, a "nerd" if you take AP classes, a "goth" if you prefer wearing black, or a "stoner" if you smoke marijuana.

Artist Nikki S. Lee, however, uses her art to dismantle this close-minded order. Though Lee's work has been heavily criticized for her knack of forcibibly assimilating into crowds or cultures where she does not belong, the way she expresses herself emphasizes the complexity of identity. Describing herself as a "chameleon", Lee is constantly playing with forms of changing shaped out of her relationships with other people (Allison, 2009, p. 26).

From what we can take from this, identity is a complex issue and the diverse people of the world all have their own, individual character not categorized solely from what we see on the outside. As students and as artists, it is important not only to understand how we shape our own identities, but that others do so as well. The acknowledgement and acceptance of the people around us, through investigation and reflection, make us understanding and empathetic human beings. The fact is that every person has various personality traits, interests, ideals, and values that makes them deeper versions of themselves. Though perception of identity is difficult and seemingly boundless, we must all make an effort to recognize these differences not only for our own artistic sake, but for society's sake.

Citation:

Amanda Allison (2009) Identity in Flux: Exploring the Work of Nikki S. Lee, Art Education, 62:1, 25-30, DOI: 10.1080/00043125.2009.11519001