Awkwardly Introverted

Sometimes, the things we start just for practice end up becoming something more. That was exactly the case with this piece! Originally, I created this as a simple practice project—just experimenting, trying new techniques, and seeing what worked. But as I kept going, I realized it was turning into something I actually liked. So, when the opportunity came up in my  collage mixed media class  last semester, I decided to refine it and use it for my real practice in class. And guess what?  I passed with flying colors!  🎉 I took inspiration from  film noir  🎥✨—I’ve always loved its dramatic, moody aesthetic, so I wanted to incorporate that into my design. At first, I planned to use this as a  poster , but along the way, I decided it worked even better as a  book cover . Either way, I’m happy with how it turned out! Mixed media is such a great way to explore creativity because there are no strict rules—you just  layer, experiment, and let the art...

Black History Month is here, and for the first time ever, I have artwork featured in a gallery. 🎨🖼️ This is something I never expected to happen, and honestly, I’m still processing it. It all started when my professor told me to submit artwork for my college’s Black History Month gallery. At first, I wasn’t sure—I don’t consider myself someone who can draw, but I do explore other creative media. 🎭📸 Still, having a professor recognize my work and encourage me to put it out there felt like a big deal. So, I decided to go for it. I submitted two pieces: one is a self-portrait made with collage and mixed media, and the other is an AI-generated piece created for a blog post celebrating Black History Month. 🖌️🖼️ The self-portrait is actually from my last semester’s class, which focused on collage and mixed media. That class was so much fun, but also exhausting—cutting and layering all those pieces took forever. ✂️😩 My thumb still hurts from all that work! Both pieces represent differe...