MY CREATIVE PROCESS AND INSPIRATION
Shamsia Hassani
The first step for me is always to find inspiration. Whether it's a picture I found on the internet or it's a technique that I've seen another artist use, I need some sort of inspiration to start a piece of art. I first was interested in murals after hearing about the Mexican Muralist Movement, but something was missing from their pieces. So, I started by viewing murals done by women around the world. I wanted to see the techniques they used, as well as how they chose to depict the themes I would be showing, global warming and feminism. Above is a picture of an untitled mural done by Afghanistan's first female graffiti artist, Shamsia Hassani. I was inspired by her bold use of color--specifically blue-- and her incorporation of simple shapes and lines. The focus of her art is women's rights and femininity, particularly among Afghan women. My murals look nothing like hers, but I hope to be able to still make an impact like she has with her art.
Diego Rivera
My primary inspiration for this project started with the Mexican Muralist Movement. After learning about the movement and how Diego Rivera, along with other muralists during the time, used art to promote political change, I was interested to know if I could do the same thing with modern issues. I chose global warming and feminism, as opposed to Diego Rivera's theme of communism, because they are both extremely important to me. As an activist for both the earth and women's rights, I wanted to create pieces that could inspire change, just like the muralists of the Mexican Muralist Movement did following the Mexican Revolution. One mural that stood out to me is "Man at the Crossroads" by Diego Rivera (pictured above). Though the style is very different, I drew inspiration from the fact that each quadrant focused on a particular social or political issue that was important to Rivera in hopes of inspiring change in others.