BACKPACK! BACKPACK!
Poongothai is a 4th-year Digital Media Arts student at Srishti Manipal Institute, Bangalore. She is an illustrator and an aspiring filmmaker. She regularly draws and paints, and occasionally writes. Her work comes from her personal experiences and she is always on the look out for a new idea or story.
Artist Note
Work-in-progress to me is an ongoing project that is not bound to a defined destination and is open to changes, allowing for growth. I consider myself a constant work in progress, open to learning and unlearning while trying to deal with the new struggles that come with living an independent life as an adult.
I am in my final year of college and have been going through an existential crisis in the past months due to the uncertain future after college. And I wanted to depict this crisis through the objects I own. These objects are a reflection of who I am and in a way depict my present life as a 21-year-old young adult trying to figure it all out.
My backpack has objects that reflect the present part of my life like the resume, the driver’s license, the graduation cap, etc and there are the constant objects like my ID, my earphones, etc.
As I was making this illustration, I wanted to bring in elements that also depict me as a woman living in India. And the first two things I could think of were sanitary pads and pepper spray - objects I carry with me wherever I go. These objects are associated with my safety and also talk about how a woman is expected to be cautious of her environment most of the time.
Whenever I’m stuck with multiple choices, whether it is between choosing the right top for my birthday or taking a serious life decision, I call my Amma (my mother). And this is something that is personal and is one of the little things that are constant in this adulthood part of my life.