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How I wish I could write a rhythm that no one knows, or could come up with some better words for my songs. Now I have insecurities, and I worry about what people think of me. I wish that I could go back to better times when I was child and my mother sang me to sleep. Sometimes I’ll sense something that will take me back to when I was a kid. I wish I could capture it and sell it, but I’d probably only sell one to my brother since we had the same childhood. It would remind us of when we didn’t have to worry about as much. We used to play games and pretend to be different people. We’d build spaceships and fly around, but now people laugh at us and tell us to grow up and start making money.

Proverb: Lady Gaga said, “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen.” (Born This away)
[Panegyric] It is fitting that Lady Gaga should make such declarations, because she is the queen of pop music and gained a reputation for her outside-the-box music videos and style. She made abstract fashion popular and was always the center of attention of the red carpet, as while everyone else wore sparkling gowns and tuxedos, she wore avant-garde pieces, such as the infamous raw meat dress.
[Paraphrastic] She also is an icon for the LGBTQ+ community, as the song Born This Way is about being true to yourself, whether you’re broke or rich, and no matter gay, straight, bi, lesbian, or transgender.
[From the Cause] Lyrics like these in 2011, before gay marriage was legalized and homophobia was widespead, was very groundbreaking and reassuring for this community, and cemented her as an icon for the underdogs. Celebrating being different and not caring what other people think is what makes Lady Gaga so memorable.
[On the Contrary] Some people might think Lady Gaga is too “out there”or strange, and view her wearing a dress made of raw meat on the red carpet to be the actions of an unhinged star who’s success went to their head.
[Analogy] For just as all great artists are unrecognized or unappreciated in their time, in like manner those who criticized Lady Gaga at her prime also recognize that she truly was a sensation in pop.
[Example] Let me call to mind the life of Vincent Van Gogh. His work was unrecognized and not appreciated in his time, but now his pieces are some of the most valuable and treasured paintings in the art world. It wasn’t until he passed away that his art was appreciated for all it was. Likewise, now that Lady Gaga has toned down her flashiness and wild style, those years that she performed in such a way are seen as iconic and groundbreaking.
[Testimony of Ancients] Consequently, there is reason to consider Georgia O’Keefe’s quote saying, “To create one’s own world takes courage.” For Lady Gaga created a world of pop all on her own, one that can never be recreated, only copied.
[Epilogue] In regard to these things, there is reason for those looking back on Lady Gaga to marvel at her for creating such an extraordinary style and world of pop where all are welcome and accepted.

Art Research

How much did you plan in your drawing?

I planned it in my head. I was watching the Olentangy river where the remains of the dams are, and the water was high from an rainfall. The water was smooth and fast before the dam, but then became a broken chaos when it fell over the dam. After that it was smoother but still broken and it never was as smooth as it was before the dam. This was at / around the time of the elections and at that time things were very chaotic and stressful for me, and I felt like my emotions and mental health were like the water: relatively stable and smooth, but then just spiraling down into stress and unhealthiness.

Did you write first, or draw?

I drew first, but it is easy for me to write about it since it was planned and sort of “written” in my head.

How did you decide to layer, or cover up, certain elements in the drawing?

I started with the colored pencils on the left side and made sure they followed a path through the swirl and unto the other side without breaking, but then felt the need to add more. I brought in the black thick lines you see with a marker, and then continued with various forms and thickness of charcoal. Finally I added in the dashes lines.

What did you discover through this process? 

I discovered that I really liked doing this sort of piece! My work is usually as realistic as possible and I try to draw what I see. But this piece wasn’t created from looking at something and copying it, it was from looking at something (the river) and feeling it – and relating my feelings back to what I saw. I will definitely be making another piece like this, as I feel I could do much more with the piece but didn’t want to mess this first draft up.