Project#1: Montage

Artist: Jessica Dorado

Artist Statement

It wasn’t a week before I began this project that I was called “earthy,” however, I’ve been addressed before with similar references. I have a group of friends who still call me “Flower Child,” and I’ve had more than one person tell me I give off a “bohemian vibe.” It’s not that any of these references are rude, in fact most of the time they’re said lovingly (if not also with slight exasperation). Yet still, I can hear some underlying negative associations with the phrases. As if they believe me to be naïve. And though I’ve never been angered by these comments, my curiosity has intensified regarding the subject.

So I looked up the meaning of a bohemian... It's “a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices.”

I am a writer. And a photographer, which I suppose makes me an artist as well.  As for they way I live and act – I’ve been happier with the decisions I’ve made based off my own morals and thoughts, as opposed to those I’ve made based off what’s deemed appropriate by those around me.

So maybe I am a little bit of a bohemian at heart. But maybe we all should be. After all, everyone only has so much time in this world. We might as well dance to beautiful music, paint beautiful art, write beautiful words, and live in a way that ensures we’re content with the only person we’re entitled to live with for the rest of our lives – ourselves.    

Artist: Alexx Jaramillo

Artist Statement

“Bohemian” a phrase that describes a lifestyle of free thinking, earthiness, and creativity. As one who believes whole-heartedly that art is a way of thinking creatively, this word was the primary focus of this project.

Dissecting small aspects of what it means to be bohemian helped decide on the photos used. Each picture was picked out because it represents what the bohemian lifestyle is to my partner and I.

Good music, good vibes, artistic influence, and warm earthy colors are what helped this project unfold. I had no prior Photoshop experience before this, so I thought I’d try to put myself in the best “bohemian” environment I could to accomplish this task.

I sat inside my room with the curtains drawn and the windows wide open, I listened to the sounds of outside, and my music to create a good mood for working in, and then I just got to it.

Art isn’t supposed to have any restriction that is why there are so many different forms. I believe that being a bohemian is about a lot more than a person who doesn’t follow the conventional way of doing things, I believe that being bohemian means you are in touch with many things that only influence and inspire your creative works, be it music, poetry, photography, or art.