Nhung Tran Nguyen: Broken Mind

Artist statement

The restrictions of economic and financial matters, laws, and regulations can make enjoying the arts difficult; however, engaging in artistic endeavors is a vital part of one's artistic life as the outcome may be unexpected and open up new opportunities. None of the art that I created before had an impactful sense of expression like the artwork in this project. I used to only create art by looking at the trend, and the needs of the industry, rather than thinking about my style, and my uniqueness. Creative freedom drives me to innovative solutions, for example, the combination of complicated illustrations and overwhelming typography in my "Broken Mind" art, which I never thought would work before I actually gave it a chance.

Freedom in mind brought me a chance to explore my ability and creativity. Instead of restricting myself to a decided topic, I am given ample space to express my feelings at the moment I created art. This gave me the power to really enjoy the process, and new ideas just came in a very natural way. "Go with the flow" and "Never plan for how the art look" are the techniques that I used. I can really enjoy each stage of the process: from sketching and creating line art, to playing with analogous colors and adding light and shadow. This project is about not only exploring myself but also discovering how to effectively express my thoughts and ideas through visual language with an open-minded attitude.

I believe that each individual's aesthetic and uniqueness can come from the freedom of creativity, however, it can be difficult to find at the outset of an artist's journey due to an excessive focus on the works of others and preconceived notions on what constitutes "beautiful art." I hope these artworks are an inspiration for all artists to be confident in their abilities and be themselves, because each artwork is beautiful in a unique way.