Depending on who you are, happiness can mean different things. For me, happiness is the feeling I get when I am surrounded by those who I love. While completing my sketchbook I decided to take it the opposite direction. My artwork depicts a girl taking serotonin pills in a monotone room. I used serotonin, the neurotransmitter that affects mood, specifically happiness. The chemical must be balanced, if someone has too much in their body, they can become schizophrenic. If one has too little, they can become depressed. In my artwork, there is no regard for quantity. The pills are spewed across the table as well as in the girl’s hand. Essentially, this photo represents the desire to become happy when it is not possible naturally.

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There were many small but but intricate details details involved with this photo. First, it was taken in a bland room, I used only black furniture as well as clothing so the selective color in the photo would stand out more. Once I had designed that, I had to set up the room. I moved a desk into frame as well. I also had to create the pill bottle label to look like a serotonin bottle that was hypercommericialized. I painted vitamin B-12 pills bright yellow and laid them out in a way that looked like they were spilled in a rush. I had the subject take some into her hand and act like she was going to take them. Most people take water with pills. The water was purposefully absent to give the impression the pills are hard to take, although necessary.

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This work is representative of the struggle of people to reach happiness, which can be troublesome at times. Some believe happiness is a conscious choice and effort, but that is not always true. It can be more of a task or a chore to many. From taking this photo, I learned that staging events that are supposed to look random, like the spillage of the pill bottle, is much more precise than one may think.