Digitally Hooked.

We live in a digital age. Mobile phones are not a tool for communication anymore, they have evolved, taking on a deeper role in our lives. I’ve tried to detach myself from a phone a couple of times but each time it has been increasingly more challenging. I now use my phone for banking, for job searching, for emails, for bills. It’s as if my phone has now become a part of basic survival.

I read a quote from a book the other day. It said “addiction is when we’ve lost the freedom to abstain.” I looked at my phone and thought what could I do to create more freedom from it? I decided to delete everything other than the stuff I need.

However, right now I’m job hunting. Each notification could be an opportunity. It’s like a rush to who can make it in the first ten applicants for a job. It’s restless. It’s like I’m hooked again but in a way I don’t want to be. But is it a wise decision to step back from this too?

I started thinking about art and the digital age. How it feels to be an artist living in this clip of time. Then I thought if I’m going to make art about my feelings towards this digital age, then no better way to do it than to make it with digital tools. This is my first artwork. It’s called Digitally Hooked. Instead of using paint brushes and a canvas, I’ve used a tablet and photoshop. It’s the digital expressing the digital.