And how does this work in my art, exactly?
Recently, I have been wanting to get back into tentacles as part of understanding more of myself. As well as expanding my research into topics and mediums I have been interested in: that being doll making, plushies and pillows, ropemaking and other fiber works, drawing, and photography. I have found that these things have been a constant in my work from the beginning of my time at ACAD/AUArts.
Here is a short-ish timeline of when I started to get interested in a particular thing and why:
2017- I made some plushies for a piece about abandonment and belonging.
2017 to 2019- I started to find doll painting videos on Youtube, discovered Marina Bychkova's work, and wanted to create my own dolls (had prototypes and tons of sketches but since they were essentially non-adjustable, they were seen more as figurines and that term didn't sit right with me). I liked the idea of creation by creating characters or personifications of my emotional state and social standards (which fed into a god complex to some degree). This is where I started to compare myself to Prometheus, the ancient Greek god who created mankind and gifted them with fire. Thus beginning to research into mythology.
2018- My bestfriend started to research really intensely into sex toys and thus shared their research with me. We both found it as something weird but interesting we could talk about, such as materials needed, what types there were, and how weird some toys could get.
2019 and 2020- I started to really lean into my trauma, kink/fetish, and horror for my art. I created the Kinktober series and Noah: Or At Least How I Dream Of You pieces. I was still feeling aimless despite receiving support for what I was dealing with for 3-4 years at the time. I just wanted to create work that does shock but also come from a personal place at the same time (thus making some pretty tame drawings looking back on it).
2020 and 2021- I started to get back into the plush and began to focus on consent instead of kink. I was still hesitant on drawing hentai as a part of my practice, but I began researching into it and also began drawing furry art as well.
2021 and 2022- I began leaning fully into hentai (Ahegao, tentacles, Ero Guro) as a way to express my traumatic experiences. I also became more honest with myself, by kinda coming out of the closet as a demi-demi-aroace Genderfluid person (kinda because it's hard to explain myself all the time). And while I got burnt out towards the end of the year, I was pretty content with the work I did.
That's about it, a little bit paired down to 6 bullet points. But I got some themes and mediums that I've been interested in for a while: plushies, doll making, sex toys, hentai and yiff (the yiff has been with me for a while, I'll explain in a later article). As well as illustration and comics/graphic novels, fiber and sculpture, and photography and filmmaking.
Maybe I should make a mind map about my ideas since they're currently complex to talk about right now.