Emotions, Parallel Existence, & Self-Identity?
Take a balloon. We as humans live inside this balloon, and every day it expands, filled with our thoughts and emotions. My question is, what exists on the outside of this balloon? And how does it connect to our personal lives? Where do my thoughts come from, and where do they go? Who listens to them? Do they connect with a version of me 10 years from now, or 10 years from my past? And what does this represent about the kind of person I am?
If you asked me what I would be doing with my “Investigating Impact” project on the first day of class, I would answer “Fashion”. But a question in our brief states, “Who are you as a person?” Ideally, I can recollect all of the ways I view myself, but it also led me to think about our reading, “What is Reflective Practice?” by Joy Amulya.
In her article, she suggests “Struggles provide a window onto what is working and not working.” It’s interesting because I heard this quote 3 given times within my first month at UAL. As a creative director & stylist, it is essential for me to reflect on “what works and doesn’t work”, but also something I am using this project to figure out.
In the movie Interstellar by Christopher Nolan, a specific quote lives rent-free in my mind. “Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends the dimensions of time and space.” Although this quote talks about love, it makes me question the emotions we experience daily. As humans, we only perceive life in 3D. But as an artist, this makes me question how my thoughts and emotions are connected to identities of myself that live parallel to my timeline of existence, maybe even an alternate universe.
In a way, are we already living in parallel universes? My opinion is yes. As individuals, we are all subject to our own emotions that no one else will be able to experience. We may relate to another individual’s life journey, but we will never be able to stand in their shoes and say, “Yes, this is exactly my story.”
“A Trip To Infinity,” written by Jon Halperin and Alex Ricciardi, suggests “It turns out you can write things down that don’t have an answer”. Although I do not have a definitive answer on the impact of this project, I would like to preface that it explores the intersections of emotions with the existence of parallel universes, in relation to self-identity. A recent article, “Everything is Interconnected; dress accordingly” by Kate Fletcher, suggests “How we feel, and what we do in clothes reflects how we manifest ourselves in the world.” Immediately, it brought me back to the balloon, but where is that interconnection between our minds and what exists on the outside?
Although I am at the beginning of my research, I believe that our thoughts come from a higher dimension than we are unable to witness in human life. Many layers of uncertainty lie within this topic, but I am ecstatic to unpack them, especially in relation to my practice in fashion.
Resources
Fletcher, K. (2022) Everything is interconnected; dress accordingly. https://www.sustainable-fashion.com/post/everything-is-interconnected-dress-accordingly
Halperin, J. and Ricciardi, A. (2022) A Trip to Infinity. [Film]. USA: Netflix.
Nolan, C. (2014) Interstellar. [Film]. USA: Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.
Reynolds, M. (2011) ‘Reflective practice: origins and interpretations’, Action Learning: Research and Practice, 8(1), pp. 5–13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229021036_What_is_reflective_practice
