Words Are Hard Sometimes, so Pictures Help

Jun 1

Olivia Narciso discusses the strength of the image, and its effectiveness to express ones thoughts and opinions when words fall flat.

Written & Illustrated by Olivia Narciso

Considering that images are so accessible in society, I feel that visual forms of expression hold a lot of power. I’ve always enjoyed creating drawings, but I never saw myself as being worthy of the title of “Illustrator”. I guess it’s because I was never one of those people that could draw every single day. My attention span is pretty short and I’m chronically interested in way too many things, so it’s always been a challenge to hone in on one pursuit.

As a young person who loved making and enjoying art, I’d draw things that were purely for the fun of it. Sometimes I’d draw to express my feelings, but more often than not, I’d come up with an idea that I personally really wanted to see outside of my head. These images were always nerdy, involving characters like Frankenstein, Batman, and fantasy landscapes. As I grew older and began studying graphic design and sociology, I found myself wanting to make more art that could elicit intense and positive feelings of mortality and sharing in the human experience.

The more I learned from my sociology courses, the more I began to tune in to the unfairness and injustices that have always underlied our society. As a mild mannered, slightly introverted person, I’m not a giant opinion sharer. I keep a lot to myself because it’s hard to find my voice sometimes. Although I have my own issues with forming sentences out loud, I realize now that I can express these larger feelings through art.

As humans, we all have the right to free speech and I feel that it’s important to utilize any platform you have. Right now, making this kind of art is the most meaningful way for me to take part in greater conversations about our society, and has become a healthy way to exercise my personal agency. If a drawing of mine can resonate with others and spark a conversation, then I feel I have done my part as an artist.