HCOM 434: Creative Publishing and Critical Storytelling, Spring 2023

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  There's Still a Reason To Lace 'Em Up

  Ryan Anderson

  This piece started from a brainstorm around the question: "What items did I hold on to in times of uncertainty?" For me, the answer was my basketball shoes. During the pandemic, playing basketball was my only remaining tie to the outside world. It helped me cope and continue to feel connected to the world that had all but disappeared.

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  Made for the Isolated

  Aleesha Bardwell

  My response to these two drawings is centered around isolation from a bedroom perspective. After canceling out my original idea of taking photos of peoples bedrooms, what's a more personal way to approach the isolation period during COVID-19? That would be with drawing. As I took up most of my time in the whole year of isolating dedicated to drawing, I thought this decision made the most sense to add my own personal touch. I will reference that these photos mainly came from the articles I have read from 2020 and what it meant to isolate in your own bedroom. The anxieties of germs, the COVID-19 vaccination/mask policies, and the quick assumption that everyone must have it so just going out was a big no no. I think the most rewarding experience from drawing these two pieces was getting to feel something special or similar to what it was like to have something stolen from you without it being anyone's fault. Grief settled in as I got drawing the outline of the bed. I remembered crying over things that now, I have come to terms with losing. Like my time graduating with my two associate degrees, or getting to say goodbye to my friends before I moved to a whole new town, 3-4 hours away. Times changed. I wasn't ready to move on. This bedroom resembles that.

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  The Art of Silence

  Karen Becerra

  This piece is about life without human activity & difference of sound that would impact our every day lives. I made this piece to remind ourselves of the power of stillness & pure silence that nature has to offer. We're constantly moving & working in a fast paced environment that we forget to catch a moment to simply breathe.

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  One Day

  Chase Crawford

  In my piece called “One Day”, I discuss my journey with the uncertainty of a medical diagnosis at age 24. I talk about my past lifestyle, & how it’s dramatically changed recently because of my health. I also hope to encourage people to take better care of themselves & to never take a day for granted.

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  Uncertainly Satisfied

  Emilia Davies-England

  Satisfaction within one's self can be hard to come by. The tug of war between two halves can be a minefield of uncertainty. This is especially present for women in a society that instructs women to be several things at once. This piece explores that internal battle.

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  Tales of Uncertainty Told by Grief and Forgiveness

  Jesika Gaston

  This is a collection of poems taking account of my experiences with grieving my father and dealing with not having reconciled with him beforehand. Grief can be tricky and sticky with any situation: relationships, periods of our lives, a person we used to be, death, etc. Though it looks different for everyone, no one size fits all or this or that. And it sure isn’t linear and that’s okay :)

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  Living in Dark Skin

  Jenises Gonzalez

  I wrote this piece to bring light the colorism that I have experienced as a dark skin woman. I also share the experience of struggling with my identity as a Mexican-American woman. I highlighted that this rejected also comes from within my culture.

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  What's Next?

  Dolores Harris

  This painting is meant to capture the feeling of uncertainty. When I'm uncertain about a certain outcome, it can feel like my head is being pulled in multiple directions, of what I want to do and what I should do. Things seem a bit hazy and confusing because I cannot clearly see what's ahead. It can make feel It can be a scary feeling. But it can also be exciting and colorful. I wanted to capture all these complicated feelings in a painting, using watercolor.

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  Useless Molehill

  Chad Hearon

  This piece was a combination of two things: The phrase “don’t make a mountain of a molehill” as well as the concept of a useless watch, or a watch that does not tell time. Time is impossible to manage, it is the ultimate uncertainty. I find that I can be consumed by it or I can just acknowledge it.

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  AI Isolation

  Hunter Henrikson

  This piece was created by using AI art generators. It is meant to showcase how AI views moments of isolation. The original music was created with a similar mindset of being alone and searching. The result is this short, soundscape-type video featuring several AI art pieces that convey isolation.

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  Oxicity

  Alanah Hunsdorfer

  This piece is a critique on our current climate crisis. It is set in a future where trees have been killed off and oxygen is scarce. A certain billionaire has to deal with the ramifications of his actions.

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  My Abroad Trail

  Clémentine Jaillard

  I decided to come here as an exchange student for one semester to discover the Californian life. I didn't expect it to be so uncertain. The moment I told bye to my parents and stepped a foot in the plane, I wasn't sure of anything anymore.

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  My Heart's Map

  Clémentine Jaillard

  This is a map of heart. It is decided into 7 pieces, each one representing what it is consisted of. Some of them are more happier than some other but each of them has its importance.

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  Inanimate Uncertainty

  Ethan Jones

  I created a photo book of film photos shot of my friends with the inanimate object that they feel got them through quarantine. In a time of isolation and loneliness, people's relationships with objects became much more intimate and they were less likely to take them for granted. When people are left with nothing but their own devices, those devices gain a special place in their priorities and I wanted to show those things from the perspective of the people I love.

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  An Uh Handful of Inconvenience

  Stone McDonald

  I project this theme of uncertainty through a musical piece, divided into 3 segments. The first, which pays an ugly tribute to The Resident's track Guylum Bardot, introduces the listener to an unpredictable collage, that grows worse upon listen. The second arrangement, being the main piece, uses each instrument to paint the overwhelming feelings that can occur when one is unsure where the moment will take them next. Having no hold of your life's steering wheel. Its conclusion however, reminds us that things eventually find a way of working out, leaving us to be a stronger and more experienced character.

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  Faces in a Pandemic

  Dess Miller

  This piece was created to show the change that occurred within and around me during the pandemic. I wanted to center my piece on the “faces” of the pandemic — the people around me around me and my own changing appearance. This project serves as a time capsule for one of the most murky parts of history.

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  Pink Platforms

  Alyssa Phillips

  This piece represents finding pride in femininity. Too often little girls are told that being feminine is synonymous with being weak, and not being taken seriously. Pink is usually seen as a color of softness, but in this piece I wanted to use a vibrant, hot pink that is not soft to the eyes in the slightest. I also wanted to use the subject matter of platform heeled boots, because platforms make me feel far more empowered than a simple pair of stilettos, which men seem to prefer. This piece is about learning to not only embrace the power and joy found in femininity, but also to be proud and unashamed of it. The color palette is based on a lively "Pop Art" color scheme, hence why I used a bright yellow for the skin.

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  Suffocation

  Alyssa Phillips

  This piece is about mental illness, and how it can leave you feeling constantly suffocated. Every day is a struggle when living with a mental illness, and it can feel as though your whole being is consumed by it. It has power over you, and it drains you to a point where you eventually surrender to its control. I chose to use a mimic octopus to represent it due to the unsettling size of the creature and its limbs, as well as its threatening patterns. This piece speaks of my own experience with uncertainty, when I had began to really come to terms with how bad my depression had felt during the pandemic. I also suffer from ADHD and came to realize this at that time as well; I realized just how much control it had over me throughout my whole entire life.

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  Times of Uncertainty

  Connor Plant

  I created this piece because graduation is around the corner, and with graduation brings new exciting beginnings but also a sense of uncertainty. COVID-19 has taught us more than ever before that the future isn't guaranteed. Art was a major inspiration for this piece as artist David Popa demonstrates his incredible and creative brain in his exhibit "Fractured."

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  In-Depth on Trump's Wall and Reaction Towards His Anti-Immigration Policies

  Anthony Plazola

  I decided to use my in-depth piece to expand on my protest piece because I feel that many remember the chant "build that wall", but few know what really transpired with Trump's wall. This in-depth piece informs people about what happened to Trump's wall. As well as provides examples of reactions towards Trump's anti-immigration policies.

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  Starry Night's Interlude

  Joshua Rodriguez

  In my piece, I go into the depths of the art piece, A Starry night and I explain the history of it and its importance to today's day. It shows the depths of the meaning behind the art piece from one's window and how it can be examined in different forms of solidarity. Seeking the component of fulfilment with this art piece, I reflect on my time as a student here at CSUMB. This piece of art was given to me by a close friend upon leaving for college and I moved to an entirely new life.

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  Pandemic Recollections (a poetry series)

  Gloria Salcido

  The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic stirred up a myriad of emotions as everyone faced the uncertainty of the virus. This series of poems reflects on those emotions, from the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 to the present.

  "How it started" recalls the initial spread of the virus and the changes it inflicted. In "Bored," we explore the myriad of ways that life at home was experienced. "Fidget" refers to a more personal experience of coping with the anxiety of the pandemic using a fidget cube. A common experience expressed by many has been a lack of mental clarity and memory, which is detailed in "Lost years, lost mind." Finally, "Endemic(ish)" discusses the current state of searching for a new sense of normalcy.

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  Spaces Defined by Objects

  William Van Nes

  This is an exploratory written peace that attempts to define spaces, and how objects as well as people define them. The peace takes the viewer through various images, all captured by William Van Nes throughout the United States, and tries to explain meaning, and how we prescribe our own meaning to spaces. This peace will specifically address and explore the concept of defining a space, and what it actually means to define spaces.

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  Time of Peace

  Jared Williams

  I decided to do a hand drawn reflection for my in depth piece. The globe is on a clock with a made from a peace symbol. The different color fist represent the diversity we see everyday. The two hands carrying a dove and a grenade represent the balance between peace and destruction.