This was my answer to anyone trying to start a discussion with me about anything even slightly political, throughout high school and even into my first year of college. It wasn’t that I was stuck up or too good to talk about politics, and I had opinions, I was just traumatized. Since I could remember, politics has always been a hot topic in my family. Without being too personal for the sake of the topic, my mom came from a very religious, very conservative family and ended up marrying my dad (a very loud and very liberal atheist.) This started a lot of conflicts, screaming matches, and broken ties that never really mended. Things have improved since then, but a lot of trauma and negative emotions have remained.
Why is this important you ask? Well, I needed to explain where I was before to help contrast where I am now and now that that is out of the way, I can finally go about answering the question, “How does the inevitable intersection of design and politics make you feel?” In short, this intersection makes me feel responsible and in some ways, it makes me feel powerful. When I first started the graphic design classes here at OSU, I had no idea what GD was and I just wanted to create art and be doing something I enjoy. After learning about what GD is and the rich history it has, I discovered it was not just art for the sake of art. Graphic design is a tool and a powerful tool at that. No wonder it has such strong political ties. Knowing that I have this power and skill at my fingertips has helped me overcome some of this past trauma and find a voice in the madness of politics. Besides posting my beliefs on social media and speaking up in person, I created my first poster urging people to vote. It was for a class, and I even submitted it to the AIGA! It didn’t go anywhere, but I was still proud of myself and the progress I have made as a person. Galvanized is a good word for it. I feel strong, and connected to the community because of the intersection between my future profession and politics. But overall, the strongest feeling that comes from this relationship is responsibility. It’s not a burden per se, but a reminder that graphic design is probably one of the closest things we have to a universal language, and things I make have an impact.
I am a woman, a member of the LGBTQ and a fighter. After many years of being too scared to speak, I have found my voice, and I do not plan on wasting it.
