My Mind: An Exquisite Corpse (2017)
I have been treated for Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder since my early childhood. Lately I have been more conscious of it than ever before. Often I found myself frustrated, wishing I could just get my mind to shut off. I began becoming hyper-conscious of the differences in my behavior on and off of my meds. At times I even started questioning if my sense of myself was tied to my medication. Struggling to separate my own identity from the medication I take and feeling lost in the all too rampant thoughts in my head I began this piece. With this work I want to give the viewer a glimpse of what it’s like inside the head of someone with ADHD.
To create these visuals I began with one image and made a list of free associations based on it. Then I used those associations as prompts to make the next image. I then repeated the process with the new images. So in this way the wanderings of my mind became the fuel for the creative process of the project, it meant that I was making my ADHD work for me instead of against me for once. In many ways this project was very cathartic for me. Through my process I began subconsciously addressing the fear and questions of identity in the imagery I made.
The assembly of the prints is essentially a visual map of my veering trains of thought. They sprawl out across the wall with real substance and depth. If the assembly feels chaotic or confusing then the viewer can begin to understand a little of what its like to become lost and overwhelmed by my own thoughts. The title “Exquisite Corpse” is a nod to surrealist art history and playfully references how my process is somewhat similar in that the end of the previous image is what determines the begging of the next.
