Failure is something many people struggle with, especially students. It is a factor that can influence, tear down, and make someone feel terrible about themselves.  My artwork depicts a girl drowning in failed schoolwork, struggling to get out of the ruins. The girl has a cut on her hand to demonstrate how she is fighting her way out of being consumed by her failure, but is being hurt in the process. It is not a fresh cut as the failure and the papers have been piling up for a long time. In my artwork, the papers are overflowing and crumpled up and if someone tried to get out and messed up the papers in the process. Essentially, this photo represents the pain and efforts it takes to get past the feeling of failure when someone feels as if it is controlling their life.

​

Small details of my artwork were important to the picture as a whole. First, all of the papers in the photo were actual schoolwork saved from prior years. To exaggerate the component of failing, I wrote failing grades and notes in red sharpie so it would be clearly visible when crumpled up. I put all of the papers in a bag and cut a hole in the bottom for the subject to stick her arm through. Originally, I shot in front of a white wall but hung up papers on the wall in a later shoot and combined the images so the background would also be clearly visible with failing papers.

​

This work is representative of the way someone may feel when they are consumed by failure, as if they were drowning and unable to get out. While this artwork relates to my previous works as I tend to shoot darker takes on prompts, this particular piece is more of a literal take, despite that the photo itself is metaphorical. The concept of failing is clearly present in this piece.