Identity
“Identity is the way we perceive and express ourselves” and the physical characteristicsindividual is born with such identifyers as; ethnic heritage, sex, or one’s body, which play a role in “defining one’s identity, but many aspects of a person’s identity change throughout his or her life.” (1)
This past week we discussed our identity and what that looks like. This particular question was hard for me to answer because I’m not quite sure what makes up my identity, but it was a challenge that made me take a closer look at myself. I think when one is in their early 20s, it is hard to identify our identity because one is always changing and is just beginning to find their identity.
For many creatives, they identify art and design as part of their own identity. People often use their jobs as a way to identify who they are. The truth is people would be better off by not always identifying who they are just because of their job. One will not always be passionate nor happy with the work they produce, nor is it a place that can teach one how they can improve on being a better person and the characteristics that make up a person
Get Susi Sanchez’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Identity is the characteristics that make up an individual into the person that they are. This includes, but should not emphasize, the interests of an individual. Rather, the focus should be placed on the qualities that help define them. For example, being a hard worker, maintaining honesty, and having morals/faith, are qualities that anyone can control or strive to have. Acquiring a good set of qualities can also help us implement them in different aspects of our lives, which can enrich an individual and the people around them.
Luci Shaw mentions “one cannot make something without exposing his or her interests, tests, and skills in some way.” (pg 31) And I agree with this however by choosing to take a closer look at ourselves and the things we can work on internally, we are able to connect with the world around us and describe what makes up our identity. Once this is achieved, these qualities can emerge in our art and design projects, thus defining who we are as individuals and creators.
- www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/investigating-identity
Bustard, Ned. It Was Good : Making Art to the Glory of God. 2nd ed., rev. and expanded. ed., Square Halo Books, 2006.
