Project 1: How deep are your roots?

1. How do you feel about the overall outcome of this piece in relation to your art-making process? This piece is different from anything I have created because it is digital, not drawn/painted on paper or canvas. I am not used to creating artworks that I have to do through a computer screen, but I really enjoyed the effectiveness of using photoshop to create artworks, plus it's a fun process to see what different tools can do. Overall, I am happy with the outcome of this piece because I stepped out of my comfort zone and created something that makes me feel very vulnerable. People who don't know me, don't know exactly how much this piece represents me. 
2. In what way did you integrate your personal art practice into this project? I integrated my personal art practice into this project by using family photos, especially portraits. Also, by using the white lines in the figures, I feel like I mimicked embroidery projects I've done in the past. I love taking portraits so much, and when I used to take a lot of pictures, portraits were my favorite because they always felt so vulnerable and spoke the most to me. 
3. How did you challenge yourself creatively, conceptually and/or technically in the making of this piece? I've only ever edited raw photos on photoshop that I took on my camera but I have never created something using those tools. It was challenging because I was unaware of how to use some of the tools to better the project. Eventually, I learned how to use tools such as the transparency tools that were very helpful in the addition of the text and some family photos that I wanted to be a part of the piece but not take up a lot of the attention. 
4. Were there elements that made the completion of this piece either more difficult or felt not challenging enough? The placement of all the pictures was hard because I didn't know where to place everyone and how to make it feel cohesive and exciting. In the end, I tried to match the pictures by splitting it up into sections of who is a part of who's family and by using color to make sure not everything ended up looking the same shade/tone. 
5. Reflect on the project critique: was the feedback you received helpful? Be specific about why or why not. Yes, the feedback was helpful because my peers were telling me the things I did right in photoshop, reassuring me I was using the tools effectively. I really appreciated everyone's critiques and compliments because, to be honest, I didn't feel like this piece was the best I could've done, but I am content with my crit.
6. Please share any other thoughts. I loved this project and seeing everyone's project was so cool. I enjoyed seeing everyone talk about their identity or their conflict to find themselves because it opened conversations on vulnerability and other concepts during the crit.