ARTIST STATEMENT
As soon as we got assigned this assignment, I knew that I wanted to do something different. I always did an essay for this class so this time, I want to step out of my comfort zone so I decided to do a comic. At first, I was contemplating between a poem and a comic but I leaned more towards the comic because I was having difficulties putting my thoughts together for the poem. My audience for this project are people who like reading comics. Before diving into my work, they should know that I worked really hard on this comic and I know I can’t draw but I tried my best.I want my audience to learn how important it is to stay true to yourself. It’s okay to be different and you should never feel the need to be like anybody else. It’s hard to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to change you.
Yes, I think my audience will be able to learn because that’s the whole message I’m trying to portray in my comic. It’s okay to be different, it’s okay to stand out, it’s okay to NOT be like everybody else.I know this will emotionally impact my audience because this is something everyone can connect to. It is a problem in today’s society because most people feel pressured to fit in. They feel like they HAVE to be like other people or else they feel like an outcast.
The panels when Kamala said “being someone else is exhausting -I always thought that if I had amazing hair, if I could pull off great boots, if I could fly–that would make me feel strong. That I would feel happy, ” inspired me to create this comic. I wanted my readers to understand that you shouldn’t try to be anything one else, STAY TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE. I learned that I need time to organize my thoughts. I can’t just jump into an assignment and I don’t think anyone should. I took a while to process my thoughts and to put it down on paper.
When reading Ms. Marvel you have to really pay attention to the drawings. Sometimes the drawing will tell you something that you wouldn’t know if you only read the words. This perspective has great value because taking your time to analyze the drawings can give impact the way you understand the comic. Through this project, I got the chance to learn about myself as a writer. I now know that I need time to organize my thoughts and I shouldn’t just jump into an assignment. I also learned that a lot of time. You must know how to
I would like to learn how to DRAW! I actually suck at drawing so I would like a learn how to draw a few little things so I won’t have to struggle the next time I decide to make a comic.My peers and the class discussion helped me tremendously during this assignment. I love the fact that we would discuss the comic in class because it gave me a better understanding of it. My peers always help me to organize my thoughts when creating my own comic. They told me to focus on a theme and just stick to that.If I had another week with this project, I would do my comic all over. I wouldn’t change the dialogue, I would just put more time into my drawings.
SO WHAT IF I’M DIFFERENT?
I decided to make this comic, even though the characters don’t relate to Ms. Marvel. The message I am trying to portray is that everyone is different and you should never feel the need to fit in. In the comic Ms. Marvel, Kamala felt out of place. Therefore, she tries to grasp idea of an “ideal American Superhero”. After a while, Kamala realizes she doesn’t have to fit into this ideal image and it influenced her to express her Pakistani-American identity through her costume. She doesn’t fit the ideal superhero image because she’s nerdy, awkward, Muslim and let’s not forget she’s a FEMALE. If you read the comic, you would understand how bad Kamala wanted to fit in but had a hard time. In her eyes, everyone else is normal and she’s not. In the scene with Kamala standing with her fists filled with power, she started to question who she really was. “Who am I?” she asked herself. I think this is when she really started to develop her confidence. This relates to my puzzle because the puzzle piece felt left out because he didn’t fit in. He wasn’t from the same family as the other pieces. He then later realizes that it’s okay to be different with the help of his friend Boxie. Boxie was also afraid he wouldn’t fit in so he kept himself locked inside a box for years. At the end, they both realized how important it was to be yourself and Boxie finally came out his box.
Kamala says,
Being someone else isn’t liberating. It’s exhausting.
I always thought that if I had amazing hair, if I could pull off great boots, if I could fly—that would make me happy. But the hair gets in my face, the boots pinch … and the leotard is giving me an epic wedgie.
Basically, Kamala is saying that this ideal superhero image doesn’t fit. She thought it would make her happy but that’s like pretending to be someone else and that’s exhausting.
To conclude, you should never feel the need to fit in. It’s really hard to be yourself in a world that’s constantly trying to change you. I expressed that in my comic which is influencing my audience to stay true to themselves. Kamala also shows this in the comic Ms.Marvel.
