Helen Chi
I am an artist because I love making something that can be so simple into something so creative. For example, I enjoy taking an ordinary picture and somehow manipulating it—cropping, color, text, graphics, etc.—to add a little more interest, depth, and curiosity into why it is presented in that particular way. Beauty is not the most important factor to my art (it is a plus but not a necessity); rather, I will try to go for the new and fascinating route, such as a gross close-up of an injury or a pile of earwax on a dinner plate. I especially tend to include humor in my creations. Art is fun for me (because I obviously would not be doing art if it were boring), and so I want my artwork to reflect that I had a good time making it. I also want my audience to have an amusing reaction, whether good or bad, when they see my art because then I would know that they were at least intrigued for a moment. But in the end, the values I want to hold true to the most are that I do art for me or at least in my own style, and that I hope I never lose passion for what I do.
I am showing what I call “mug shots” on my blog that I have accumulated through the years. Mug shots are what I call pictures of people who are caught off guard, or not camera-ready. I have many, many mug shots because with a digital camera, I can be shutter button happy and not worry about wasting film. This collection of hilariousness is so simple in the idea yet so incredibly awesome that it will probably make its every victim cry. (Hopefully, they won’t find out about this blog.)