Alright let's do this.
Unit 1: The Object & The Body. Split into two halves, each half is pretty much self explanatory. This could be an interesting one...
So for the first part of this unit I need to "develop a concept, plan, organise, construct and photograph a still life of my own using colour film and a large format camera."
Okay;
1. Film scares me.
2. Large Format scares me.
3. The very thought of Still Life scares me.
I suppose it could be worse. At least I get to choose the topic of subject matter and all that stuff, speaking of which, this should be something related to me, like a subject of some local discussion or something in my life.
Upon receiving this brief my mind initially wandered to over the the concept of travel. With my daily commute being quite a long one to university, and having quite a big impact on my life for the next three years I thought that it could be something I could "make a comment upon." Then I realised how bloody boring it is and that there is a distinct lack of actual objects that I could use to make a decent still life.
Idea scrapped, let's go back and look at my past. I, like a large number of other typical blonde, 18 year old, milk-loving photography students, have been through my fair share of emotional turmoil over the years. Love and loss, fear and loathing are some of the feelings I've felt quite a lot in the past few months and they haven't seemed to be stopping.
I've been heartbroken. And I'm not afraid to admit it, on many occasions too. (And mum if you're reading this, yes it's true, I couldn't really tell you this stuff because I'm just a bloke really - soz bout that) This, and I'll put it bluntly, horrible feeling really does push you to edge of your sanity, it challenges your personality and actually changes you as a person. It eats away at your soul, forcing you each time to realise: "That's it, I've got to start all over again." It's really not the nicest thing. During the initial stages of heartbreak I've felt angry, lonely, isolated, insecure, paranoid and a multitude of other emotions, but none as strong as depression.
Depression is quite a big thing in modern day teenage society, with stress being one on the more common causes. In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn’t stop you leading your normal life, but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile. At its most severe, major depression can be life-threatening, because it can make people suicidal or simply give up the will to live.
I wanted to base my first area of work in this topic because it means something to me. I've been depressed on more than one occasion and often found it difficult to cope with or find help. Luckily now though I think I've found a point in my own life where I'm rather happy and able to talk about my past.
But for other teenagers this is not the case, many young people feel so lost and "stuck in a rut" that they feel the need to self harm or even commit suicide in order to end the seemingly hellish world they live in.