With Halloween around the corner, I had the inspiration to draw something creepy/horror-related, all the while making it a reflective piece. Over the Fall break, I was able to go home and spend some of my free time playing the Xbox. For the spirit of Halloween, I played Little Nightmares I and 2, a puzzle-solving plat-former where you play as children in a bigger, scarier world filled with things that want to do them harm. The atmosphere, music, and overall character design really sets the horror and suspense of the game, which is why I like it so much; I’m personally looking forward to the third installment of the franchise. The Little Nightmares games served as the main inspiration for this reflective piece of mine, focusing on the “fears” I have.
The drawings themselves are quite simplistic admittedly, but it’s more so about the message. The human silhouette is myself in all three, separate sections of the piece, wearing a sweater; it acts as a bit of reference to the hood of the raincoat the main character wheres in Little Nightmares I. But also, it is a nod to my own person, since I like wearing sweatshirts more often than not. I get cold easily and I get self-conscious sometimes, my hood hiding my face sometimes and protecting me from the elements. The overall gist is that sweaters provide me comfort, which I desperately need in every section of the piece of above.
The left side represents my fear of the dark, a fear I believe most of us had as children. Darkness holds so much mystery, and as someone who has quite an active imagination, I scare myself constantly whenever I’m shrouded in it. I fear that sinister things lie deep with the shadows, desiring to come after me if i am not vigilant. It never helps whenever I watch horror content or listen to crime documentaries, causing me to come up with the craziest scenarios whenever I stare back at the darkness.
The middle section of the piece represents my fear of attention, more specifically public speaking and presenting. Anyone who meets me for the first time knows I’m a bit shy, it takes a lot for me to be out of comfort zone and actually have a conversation. But that pales in comparison in speaking in front of a crowd, I get nervous just thinking about it. All eyes focusing on me to give me the spotlight has me reeling, the amount of pressure placed on my shoulders and scrutiny directed at my being makes me anxious. I’m quite soft-spoken, so it is hard to raise my voice, so it pains me whenever I’m told to “speak up” because I’m so quiet. The fear has not gone away completely, but it is something I’ve improved upon since high school; the experience is no less jarring but there is a more strength in my voice than before.
The final and right side might be a bit more existential out of the two, which is the fear of being alone. I don’t enjoy crowds much, and would rather spend my time by myself in the comfort of my room playing video games and whatnot. But that is not to say I hate company completely, I love spending time with people I care about and talking with them about my interests and vice-versa. It is not often that I feel this fear of mine, but there are those moments when you truly do feel alone, especially when it’s pain you feel. It’s one thing to spend time with someone when you’re at your highest when you’re happiest, but it is another thing to be vulnerable when you’re at your lowest.
These are just a handful of some fears of mine, I could’ve definitely done something a bit more comedic like representing my fear of heights and creepy dolls. However, it was nice putting a visual to some of the fears that creep in ever so often, especially in the spirit of Halloween.