The Worst Person
Julian A.
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I created this design (digital, Procreate) for it to be converted to a silkscreen print on paper, with a program called Artivate. It was based on an interview we had with a resident of the local Harrison Hotel, who’s led a tough, yet very interesting life. The way he spoke on it was incredibly impactful overall, but the text featured in the image is one that highly stood out to me. I've always struggled with understanding why bad people do the things they do. Of course, logical explanations like desperation or greed occur to me, but the thought “are they even human?” has crossed my mind more than once. So, hearing him tell us with such confidence, ""Think of the worst person you know... they're still a person,"" made me say to myself, ""Wow. Of course. I, who puts so much importance on my empathy for others, sees people who hurt others as a different species? That's absurd; it just doesn't work like that.""
For me, selfishness, anger, and general disinterest in the wellbeing of others, are the things that used to make me look at someone as less of a person. For the print I wanted to represent these emotions and behaviors in the simplest way possible, so eyes were a clear choice (since they're considered to be ""windows to the soul."" where you look if you want to see beyond someone's mask). On the left are ""worst people we know,"" corresponding with a desolate, cracked heart. On the right are those same people, feeling things everyone does, from remorse to joy, corresponding to the other, pristine heart. But they aren't two hearts at all, they're two chambers of the same heart.
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Art has given me something to pour my love and dedication into, but only recently has it started loving me back. Never did I imagine people would see my work and tell me it personally touched them, but it’s happened more than once, ever since I started working in the public. It’s a beautiful feeling.
