The Idea behind the piece was that I just really wanted to convey a sense of Metamorphosis, and I did so in the most obvious way I could think to do so. The artwork is meant to show a transformation from one existence to the other, where one side is functioning, but not yet human, shown by the anatomical framework of the person, against that real human side complete not only with an external skin, but something capable of personality (the aspect that really makes us human).

The bridge between the two is knowledge; not only worldly knowledge in general, that I would pick up simply by existing, but the idea that it is only now, within the path of medicine (that I have chosen for myself) that I really begin to feel more fulfilled in other words, more human. It is not because of the scientific knowledge I am gaining, but because of the person I am being moulded into by being a part of this course this is why I tried to make the biggest, most important words within the IV, those that dealt with people rather than the pure science (National Health Service, Ethics, Autonomy etc. – although there is some pure science thrown in, because it wouldn’t be Medicine without it!) My environment is not only giving me the information I require to academically achieve, but also shaping me into the well-rounded, compassionate, enthusiastic person that I need to be in order to really thrive in this career, which is really what I was attempting to convey.

I have tried to represent this knowledge in a couple of forms to illustrate the different senses involved operating in the processing of new information the first being the obvious book on the desk, representing the visual, but there also feels to be this constant drip feed of information that is continuous, and necessary, and feels almost as though it courses through our veins. This information is vital to life not only because what we are learning is so valuable to our futures, but it also moulds us into the human being that we recognize as ourselves.

I found the process of actually creating the piece to be totally absorbing. I think the attention to detail that my idea demanded was incredibly high, and so there was a real sense of drowning everything out and focusing solely on the piece this was calming overall, but I would occasionally get frustrated. When it came to the larger areas that take time, but are less intricate e.g. background, I do find it mildly monotonous, purely because I’m not a person that generally loves to spend all their time on art. I have always quite liked the idea of mixed-media though so I tried to incorporate that a little especially using a picture of myself in the face, as I wanted it to represent me, but knew I did not have the artistic ability to make it look so when hand drawn. The IV just shows an array of various aspects of the medical world thrown together in an almost dauntingly (at least from the outside) complex way, feeding directly into the blood. I admit that I find the process was frustrating at times especially as my artistic ability limits me, and does not allow me to convey exactly what I had pictured, but overall I do feel a sense of pride over my work which I think is the most important aspect it is something I have made with my own hands, and did not exist until I made it, which I view as a personal accomplishment.