What I know…

The past few days have been a little rough to say the least. School is approaching fast and there needs to be a major increase in production…I dare say the grace period is officially over, and I can’t get an MFA for talking about ideas (although that would be nice). I have been working on some new things, which of course are all still being worked out conceptually. More to come on that in a future post.

So, here is what I do know:

• I want to do an art piece that makes thoughtful and subtle commentary, while asking questions that are smart and relevant. 
• I’m interested in social issues that are caused by, as well as created by, popular culture and media.
• I’m exploring a topic that is very personal, and is something that I have very strong opinions on.
• I want to use design, technology, satire, and dark humor to address certain issues surrounding upper middle class, sheltered, millennial narcissists.

We live in a culture that has bred a generation of insecure and depended individuals who need constant approval to feel good about themselves, something that has become evident by millennial behavior in the work place. Ultimately, because they are accustomed to an environment where their egos are undeservingly boosted (school and home), they do not know how to appropriately cope with the realities of adulthood, and the “real world.” Thus they  fall apart when criticized, become irrationally angry/insecure when compared to others who may be deemed “better,” and or act out when they do not receive what they believe they are entitled to (entitlement being a facet of  narcissistic personalities). Instead of acknowledging the real issues behind their insecurities, the millennials have chosen to subscribe to a doctrine of instant gratification, jumping from one temporary fix to the next, usually in the form of materialistic bliss to keep their self-esteem over inflated. 

Due to various social and cultural shifts, millennials have been trained to equate both love and affection, as well as happiness with material wealth. People who grew up in the 70s, during the me decade, became parents in the 80s, passing down certain ideals (namely self-esteem, and the importance not doing anything that doesn’t make one happy) to their children. These children, the millennials, then grew up during a period of extreme economic success and material indulgence. That time period also saw an influx of 2 working parents, and an increasing divorce rate, changing modern family dynamics.

I have explained all of this in previous posts, but I am tinkering with the idea that objects themselves have become a dangerous therapy…