#I'm With Her: An Artistic Exploration of Online Communication and Relationships

During my investigations I came across a variety of artists that used human emotion and pain in their work in many different ways. Artists like Tracey Emin and Sophie Calle let their pain from relationships they had experienced out through their work, while artists such as Jessica Todd Harper and Edward Hopper used the human form as a medium to communicate emotions such as sorrow and heartbreak. My research into online communication and relationships produced two main outcomes; 1. I effectively distracted myself from the difficult period of my life by using my personal experiences to inspire creativity. 2. I discovered that making work born from failed relationships requires more misery in order to be reproduced. I was faced with the conundrum; do I need to experience another break up in order to make more pieces? Going forward with my work I have accepted that, in order to continue to be authentic and honest, my work relies heavily on the state of my relationship. Powerful negative emotions are required for me to make another piece from this collection. As a form of therapy my research has enabled me to move on from this stage of my life and see positivity in the experiences where previously I felt as if there was nothing to gain but sadness and despair. I have come away from it all understanding myself, my motivations for making and my place as an artist in a new and more appreciative light that I am grateful for.