Artistic Change and Self-Identification

My artwork has changed somewhat from when I was in high school. I still use primarily the same art media, but have learned numerous new techniques for using it effectively and more skillfully. My tastes in subject matter have grown and changed as I've learned and experienced more, and I am more open to trying new things and being more experimental with art in general. Above all, I can honestly say that my sense of what is art or what makes a good piece of artwork has radically expanded, and this has helped me to see the world in a whole new light.

As far as my self-identification, I will try to share what I can.

Personally, I have done a number of things that make me feel guilty, but for this exercise, I feel that the most fitting would be my inability to apply myself as much as I should. While I don't like to rely on others for my sense of worth, often a few kind words from someone I care about and/or respect do quite a lot to make me feel worthy. A lot of things make me laugh, I just don't always laugh out loud. My own mistakes and failures embarass me, sometimes tremendously. I try not to give in to my anger, but I can be infuriated by many things, most often by the ignorance, overconfidence and arrogance of others. Little things, however, can often thrill me - a clever riddle, a funny story, a new way to look at something from a direction I never considered. Comfort for me can come in many forms, sometimes by the kind words or acts of others, sometimes the simple act of letting my guard down and being alone - it all depends, really. A lot of things make me sad, that fact alone being enough to make me feel slightly sad. I suppose wasted talent is one thing that really bothers me, both in others and in myself.

In regards to my personality, I am somewhat at a loss. If I am difficult for others to understand, I am just as difficult for myself to pin down. I like to be artistically and professionally reflective, to an extreme degree at times, but when it comes to who I am inside, it's difficult to say. For the sake of the list given in our book, I'll choose idiosyncratic, insecure, pragmatic and quixotic as the words most closely relative to my personality at this point in time.

Otherwise, I am a caucasian U.S. citizen, male, with a rather large family and a few close friends I consider family. I am a lapsed Catholic, a child of the late 80's / early 90's with baby-boomer parents, low income with average overall health. My tastes range pretty far and wide in relation to music, food and entertainment, with a general focus on art and history. My tastes in art are very open and encompassing, as I can't readily say that I like or dislike something when I might just as easily change my mind later on.

That's who I am in a nutshell. For more information, feel free to ask.