Hello From Behind The Glass

Hello folks! My name is Calin, and this semester I’m going to be taking you all with me on the wild ride that is my Senior Independent Project (IP). As the title of this series suggests, every Monday I will be uploading Polaroid photos that show my process, and writing about how my work for the week is progressing! This capstone project means a lot to me, and it is a staple experience of many Stamps Students who feel the same way. We get to choose our own topics, research and projects, so they become very personal to us. Let’s dive right into the work that I’ve been doing this semester! 

As of now, my capstone project for IP is centered around the experience of being a woman with ADHD. I was just diagnosed a few short months ago, and I am interested in the causes — and devastating effects —  of the diagnostic gap between men and women. I’m also exploring how to visually represent the lesser-known symptoms of ADHD; many people think of ADHD as a “quirky” disorder that makes people flighty, forgetful, hyperactive and unable to focus. However, ADHD is much more than that, and it doesn’t even have to fall into any of those categories. Most women, specifically, do not fall into any of those categories, which is a piece of the puzzle as to why they are less frequently diagnosed and usually diagnosed later in life. I am excited to learn more about this disorder that has been ruling my life for so long, as well as he vulnerable about my own experience in hopes of bringing awareness to all of the things that ADHD can be. 

In recent weeks, I’ve been heavily focused on experimenting with different mediums and techniques for visual storytelling. In one such experiment, I wanted to see what it would look like to paint on plexiglass. The effect was pretty cool; I like the ability to partially see through the unpainted areas, while still leaving parts of the piece opaque with paint. There could be a lot of possibility within layering painted glass to create depth, which is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. From my lack of depth perception, to my psycho-somatic symptoms such as ocular migraines, to the often hidden layers of ADHD, the concept of depth holds a lot of meaning in my work. Painting on plexiglass is just one of the many ways that I could convey this! Now, back to the drawing board of endless possibilities…