SARAH GOBELL

Lost Artist Statement

 

The word lost refers to one being unable to find their way. When someone is lost they can be confused or stressed out. Hearing the word lost made me think of highschool and it often leaves students feeling confused on big decisions that they have to think about like college. One big decision that seniors especially are pressured with are where to go to college or if they want to even go on to college after high school. My photo represents a person lost on what to do after high school; go to a college which would make their parents happy, or take a year off and travel with her friends.

 

I was inspired by this concept by the pressures everyday from parents and teachers to pick a college or decide what I wanna do with my life very soon. These big decisions can be very overwhelming and often leave teenagers feeling lost. In order to take this photo I needed a parent on one side holding a bunch of college papers and a friend on the other side holding passports and wearing a backpack as if luring to travel. The person in the middle is holding up a map, as if lost on how to make this decision on what to do after high school. The body language of the parent and friend are both holding out the papers/passports as if both sides are important.

 

While taking this photo I was reminded of the pressures put on high school students. High school really wants students to go to college, but sometimes that isn’t what they had in mind. College isn’t always the next step for people after high school, whether it is taking a year off or going right into work which might not always be viewed as acceptable. Highschool is a challenging time for students filled with big decisions, this can cause students feeling lost or confused.