this made me think about how i want to present my work.
i am of middle eastern descent (i ought to be more specific but it's irrelevant). i feel that the "aesthetic" of my language and culture carries unappealing baggage to western eyes and isn't engaged with with an open mind. but the experiences i have had that are connected to my origins are things i very much want to express in my work, so i have wrongly thought to mitigate the problem by reaching (superficially) for the aesthetics of works i found beautiful, without a true appreciation for the things i appropriated.
but those people who would listen to the stories i create because they're laundered with fashionable elements like chinese or cyrillic flavour text, they're not an audience i seek. so while i'll wear my inspirations on my sleeve and let the things i love guide me, i'll accomplish my artistic goals in the fullest, most uncompromising and most genuine way that i am able to.
this work has made it more obvious to me. thank you for helping me be a better artist