The Imperfect Soul

Jasmine Vaughn, New Mexico State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Creative Piece

Abstract

“The Imperfect Soul” is a personal painting of mine, it was born from an old argument I had with my family, where from their perspective appearance is everything, but for me, it is not. This acrylic painting reflects how imperfect we are as humans, which is okay. This can be seen in the same painting, how it looks “incomplete” in so many aspects, from the pencil lines from the original sketch or how it appears to be symmetrical, but it is not. I have never taken any painting class, every knowledge I have about acrylic painting is from the internet or my intuition telling me what can work, and if it does not work, I can try again. This work means a lot to me, it is a semi-portrait after all. I show my anger at those who constantly call out how my skin has imperfections, how I cannot unsee my asymmetrical face anymore. I wanted to show everyone that it is okay to live with imperfections in your skin, eyes, or body, no one has the right to make you change or make you feel down on how you look. All my life I have suffered from nervous acne, meaning the imperfections or pimples in my face become bigger the more anxious I am, and my family cannot accept that I cannot do much about it. Every time on family dinner with my grandparents they told me how unattractive my imperfections were, so one day I got tired of it. I picked up my brush and paints and this reflection of my soul was born on the blank canvas. But in the end, who am I to tell you how to interpret this painting? It is art after all, everyone has the right to see it from a different perspective and have their own opinions.Title: “The Imperfect Soul”Medium: Acrylic painting, CanvasSize: 16x20 inDate: August 2024