For my final semester, I took up the opportunity to take a few graduate classes, with the intent to get a taste for what’s in store for me in graduate school. One of them is Multicultural Issues in Art Therapy class, which goes over the diverse groups of clients we may interact with as art therapists.
In these beginning weeks of the semester, we did a few exercises in the class revolving around identity and our culture. The first one we did on our syllabus review class, which was over zoom because of winter weather. I used whatever resources I had in my room that would take the least amount of time; if I used the oil paint sitting in my room, I’d never get anything done. Some details I drew with pencil at first, but I then began drawing only with colored markers. The central figure standing on a pedestal is me, illuminated by a spotlight. My family flanks the pedestal, and a crowd stands behind us; the American and Guatemalan flags adorn the pedestal I stand upon.
As the oldest child in my family, there are a lot of expectations placed upon me by my family, especially because I am the first in my family to go to college and (hopefully) graduate with a degree. The “spotlight” of attention can admittedly be a heavy weight on my shoulders, living up to people’s expectations, especially if they are my family. In tiny letters on my shirt the image, I wrote the words “no sabo”, a term that pokes fun at my insecurities of my proficiency in the Spanish language, something I mentioned in a past blog post. The Guatemalan flag alludes to both my parents’ home country, the American flag symbolizing my nationality.
For the second image, the first thing that came to mind about my identity was my last name. Typically, my surname is spelled out as “Meoño”, though I write and type it out as “Meono ” because it may be easier to read and pronounce. Of course, my surname is still mispronounced, hence why I gave the phonetic spelling beneath my last name. Surrounding my last name are symbols and images associated with my identity: my pink quinceañera dress, painter’s palette and brush, the quetzal, and a lime. There wasn’t as much deeper thought put into this piece compared to the one before, it only just represented certain symbols in my life that I associate with my identity and my culture. Both exercises, however, helped me reflect on how I view my identity and culture.
