Originally a digital collage artist and self-labeled graphic designer, I focused much of my academic art pieces on the exploration of performative expressions of intersectional identities. I made use of the digital space to understand and interpret intrapersonal experiences I have, am, and would undergo on the journey of embracing the self in its entirety. My work focused on dissonance created by these intersecting concepts of self through digital noise and distortion. I then began to shift my fascination with these gritty, textural pieces towards several attempts to emulate an ethereal softness in the digital realm by treating my art as a part of myself than my person as a part of the art.
Now, after leaving the school environment, I have returned more to my graphic design
roots and even picked up “digital illustrator” as another self-given label. I still often explore the same concepts through self-portrait, though I now also focus on much more commercialized endeavors (like the logo and banner for this website).
I felt I was throwing myself too deep into a transgressive headspace where my art needed to have layers and depth and present the innerworkings of myself to an audience, so now I mainly focus on commissions and making “Chibi” style fanart illustrations to let off steam. I hope to find my return to more meaningful pieces that could weasel their way into gallery spaces amongst the “artworld elite,” but for now I just want to have a bit of fun with my method of expression and try making some money with it, too.
Below is a link to my professional portfolio website, as well as my more free-formed Instagram. Feel free to check them out to see more about what I do:
Website: Emerson Hall Designs
Instagram: Emie ☆ (@_yantom)