"THAT FUNNY FEELING"

In 2021, Bo Burnham released a song titled “That Funny Feeling,” which explores the horrifying aspects of the modern age that we have become so normalized to. Lyrics like “a gift shop at the gun range and a mass shooting at the mall” and “A book on getting better hand-delivered by a drone” make disturbing parodies of present issues. This song was the driving force behind my current sustained investigation and was the foundation I built to create this body of work. My work confronts the underlying issues of our society by illustrating juxtapositions and symbolisms of the raw human condition as American citizens. Using a range of mediums, I use color to my advantage by carefully choosing tones to emphasize the most thought-provoking elements.

I chose this topic to advocate for change on these issues. As an eighteen-year-old, I have my whole life ahead of me, and I want to live in a world where we work forward to solve these issues, not backward. I want to watch my kids grow up in a world where they aren’t afraid to go to school. I want politicians to stop making broken promises, and work towards getting people off the streets. I want to live in a world where women don’t feel trapped and can get safe medical care as necessary, without the involvement of higher powers. I want to bring awareness to these issues that my whole life, I’ve seen be swept under the rug. The time for change is now.