Where I'm From: a mosaic of me
- Apr 10, 2025
- 2 min read
Project Statement
A teenage girl goes through the motions of a day, just like any other, reflecting on the little comforts that arise, and how they contribute to shaping her as a person. She goes about decorating her bedroom and comes across her reflection, both figuratively and literally. She finds that the little daily tasks that bring joy and peace of mind, are the simplest forms of coping.
The prompt for this work came from ‘Where I’m From’ by George Ella Lyon, a poem that explores those elements and moments of life that constitute the author as a person. The thematic concerns when exploring these ordinary parts of living inspired my work to develop around this idea of the little moments in life that in fact have a more significant impact than we may realise at the time. I adapted this concept to reflect upon the idea that we are all humans, regardless of what sets us apart.
Maszerowska (2012) explores the role of lighting and contrast in visual storytelling, stating that “apart from being simply a physical reflection of existing objects and shapes, some visual stimuli allude to or refer to more complex, contextually embedded and metaphorical issues” (p. 70). This reinforces the idea of lighting and colouring allowing for a significant element of thematic portrayal. Lighting allows for audiences to compare different atmospheres, such as the common idea that “red/orange = ‘hot, dreamy’, blue/silver = ‘cold, real’”, therefore influencing the construction of tone in my work, my colouring decisions dictating a shot’s intended mood (Maszerowska 2012, p. 79). With the parameters limited to diegetic sound, I found the utilisation of shadow distribution and lighting to effectively allow audiences to understand the broader themes underlying the visual representations.
My creative process involved listing how this theme relates to myself, bringing forth the idea that the circumstances and personalities I come across everyday shape me the strongest. After developing this into a poem, I was able to form a shot list influenced by the poem’s ingrained stylistic elements and imagery. I found that the final sequence accurately reflects parts of who I am, particularly the little things in my everyday routine. The experimentations with lighting reflected my intentions as it allowed me to investigate distinct elements of visual storytelling that influence audiences’ perceptions of mood and atmosphere, particularly in the absence of dialogue. This was achieved through a prominence of bleak and cloudy tones, with a sustained use of shadows, further aided through distinct framing decisions. I believe the final sequence accurately represents this intent to represent a dull mood that communicates a mundane everyday routine, whilst simultaneously highlighting the comfort these moments bring me.
References
Lyon, G E 2008, ‘Where I’m From’, George Ella Lyon, weblog post, viewed 7 March 2025,
Maszerowska, A 2012, ‘Casting the light on cinema–how luminance and contrast patterns create meaning’, MonTi: Monographs on Translation and Interpreting, no. 4, pp. 65-85, available at
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