With the rise of social media and its newfound influence around the world, it can lead people to buy a beauty product that they have no need for, or get the cute new Shein top even though they already have 45 just like it. It can create trends within a day, killing them just as fast, and within the fine arts world, it is the same. Artists are now, more than ever, comparing themselves to others they see online, wondering why they can’t seem to be good enough. Being filled with the idea that they need an expensive or new medium to be a good artist, and being able to see so many creator’s art at such a rapid pace, can either lift artists up or put them down. For the artists at West Albany High School, it is no different.
WW: Do you feel the supplies you use change/alter the quality of your art?
Junior Heidy Martinez: “I don’t think that the art supplies that I use affect my art because I personally think that with enough practice and dedication, you can use almost anything to make art.”
Senior B. Bartholomew: “I use lots of recycled materials, yet sometimes I have incredible ideas, but I don’t have access to the art supplies necessary, so I am stunted in my creativity.”
Senior Lilia Nunez: “I don’t think it matters what I use because I am still going to convey my message. I’ve used literal trash, and I think it makes it more meaningful if anything.”
WW: Does social media influence the products you use?
Martinez: “Sometimes, but not all the time, because I know what I have access to and what I don’t. Sometimes social media gives me ideas of what I could use in the future, but currently, it’s not influencing my materials.”
Bartholomew: “A little bit. It mainly gives me ideas for techniques; I don’t ever buy new supplies.”
Nunez: ”Yes, it does because I can’t necessarily afford the next big thing. It makes my art feel less meaningful because of other artists [who] have the products and makes me feel like I’ll never get better.”
WW: What mediums/art supplies do you use?
Martinez: “Right now, a lot. I’m using a lot of acrylic paint and a little bit of charcoal. Also, watercolors from Mrs. Grunwald’s room.”
Bartholomew: “Whatever I get my hands on; cardboard, paint, wood, hot glue, scraps, pressed plants, etc.”
Nunez: “I collage, drypoint, stamp, print, and I love to color with minimal colors, as well as layering.”
WW: How does social media affect your opinions about your own art?
Martinez: “I compare myself a lot to a lot of art that I see on social media. When I look at other people’s art on social media, it inspires me in a way, but it also makes me a little jealous that I don’t put a lot of time into learning new skills [the] way that these people do.”
Bartholomew: “There are times when it makes me insecure about how my art isn’t good enough, but sometimes it inspires me.”
Nunez: “When I get on social media, I debate on deleting it because I get constant art that’s different from mine, and I feel like I’ll never get good enough. I feel like mine is less meaningful when it’s surrounded by other people.”
Art photographs by Heidy Vega Martinez and Lilia Nunez
