Hey Guys,
I’ve finished the first piece in a series of nine that i’m working on titled “Saviors of the West.” Jordan Peterson is the first focus. I would appreciate any and all feedback or critiques on this poster. I’ll outline my thinking process below to frame this into perspective:
It never occurred to me to just ask.
Jordan Peterson asks the reader at the end of twelve rules for life:
“What will you write with your pen or light?”
Following this series I ask myself a light variation of this:
Me: “What shall I do with my pen of light?”
Answer: “Draw.”
Me: “What shall I draw?”
Answer: “Things you do not understand.”
Saviors of the West is a series motivated by hope, ambition, and curiosity. I’ve chosen to portray the individuals who inspire me the most. These “Saviors” use their “influencer” status across the world to exalt the individual, either directly or as an adjunct consequence of their actions. Though the Saviors operate successfully across multiple domains and their actions are diverse within their grouping, the commonality is that they pursue a light that is deeply meaningful within. The Saviors promote the truth and offer encouragement towards what is good. In consequence they’ve become beacons of light, heroes, and saviors for a great number of people across multiple generations.
This series will focus on the present. There have been a great number of influencers who are responsible for wonderful movements in the past but I think it goes without saying that the times have changed and we must pay attention to what is happening now. We live in the best time of recorded human history. Our recent technical revolution has produced a plethora of creative communicative tools which are now accessible to a majority of the population. Because of this, the individual whose life leads to extraordinary discovery, accomplishment, and growth can now connect, share, and even interact directly with people across the world. Things seem to get better at a higher rate everyday.
My goals in this series are to abstract the Saviors visually, and to reveal a greater understanding of what they represent in terms of personal and group perspective. I hope to reveal the following insights:
- Why do these influencers effect me on such a deep level?
- Why is the experience not constrained to myself but shared by a large number of other individuals?
- How are they embedded into the current technological, cultural, and individual experience?
I will use traditional media such as ink, watercolor, and pencil to illustrate multiple large format posters. The imagery will vary from piece to piece but I hope to create the cohesive integration of simple, recognizable, and classic imagery. I plan on exploring 9 distinct influencers as Saviors but I will also develop additional pieces within each one. These additional pieces will explore visual motifs embedded within the 9 original illustrations and hopefully translate a clearer picture of the Saviors.
Why use the word Savior?
I have often thought of the consequences of using the term “savior”, but I feel as though it properly represents this visual exploration. It is not my intention to compare these influencers to a religious figure such as Christ, but I do mean to imply that these illustrations are representative of a calling towards something greater.
Why the west?
Western Culture has placed a great importance on the sovereignty of the individual. The Saviors are ushering this notion into the present.