The Before and After
By Tatiana Williams
For my I SEE ME project in Portraits and Profiles class, I created an artwork called The Before and After. My painting represents two very different parts of my life: my life growing up in Jamaica and my life after moving to New York. Through this artwork, I wanted to express my emotions, memories, and the major changes I experienced between the two places. The Jamaica side of my painting is filled with vibrant and bright colors because I wanted it to represent happiness, freedom, family, culture, and community. Growing up in Jamaica made me feel surrounded by love, support, and positivity. I remember feeling more connected to the people around me and enjoying the strong sense of community. The bright colors symbolized warmth, peace, joy, and the energy of my Jamaican culture. I wanted viewers to understand how important those memories and experiences are to me.
The New York side of my artwork is much darker and more emotional. I used dark colors and sad themes to show how my life changed after moving here and adjusting to a new environment which was difficult and emotionally challenging for me. I wanted to show feelings of sadness, stress, loneliness, and the difference between the life I once knew and the life I experience now. The contrast between the two sides of the painting helps show how much a person’s environment and experiences can affect their emotions and identity.
Presenting my artwork in front of classmates and staff was an important experience for me. At first, I was nervous about speaking in front of people, but once I began explaining my work, I felt more confident sharing my story. The presentation went well, and people listened carefully as I explained the meaning and reasoning behind my artwork. It felt good to express myself honestly and creatively.
This project allowed me to turn my personal experiences into art and show how powerful art can be when expressing emotions and real life experiences which is something I don’t often do. The Before and After is more than just a painting to me; it is a reflection of my journey, my memories, and the emotional differences between the two places have called home and I thank JJ, Darren, Collin and Vic in the I SEE ME program for getting that out of me.
