“Ignorance is Bliss” Journalism Project

I made “Ignorance is Bliss” as an extra-credit creative project for a media and journalism class I took in Spring 2021. For this project, we were given the creative freedom to create any artistic piece we wanted that represented the role of journalism in our current society, along with an essay describing what our art represents. Since I had been focusing so much on Adobe Illustrator in my other classes, I decided to go the route of creating vector artwork using an image of myself I had created for another class that same semester.

For this artwork, I wanted to focus on the importance of journalism in our society. Journalism provides us with a variety of information every single day, from something as simple as a weather report, to breaking news of major events happening all over the world. When an individual is not exposed to the news or media, whether accidental or by choice, they become ignorant to what’s going on around them. Whether you like it or not, we depend on journalism and the news for many of the decisions we make each day, and without that knowledge, you cannot make the best possible decisions for yourself.

For example, looking at the morning weather for the day can let you know if the weather is optimal for you to be going our for your morning jog, or looking at the traffic report can help decide when to leave for work that day. If there is a recent string of crimes popping up in an area you are traveling to, you may be extra cautious and aware of your surroundings as you walk on the street. If someone went missing in your area, you may be more vigilant in keeping an eye out for the missing person and potentially help to locate them. Most importantly, if something bad is heading your way, such as a dangerous storm or an armed and escaping criminal, you can make sure you are prepared and keep yourself safe. And finally, of course, political news and affairs going on around you helps you make informed decisions on how your city, state, and country will be run.

My artwork focuses on those people who are blissfully ignorant of the world going on around them. They live within their own bubble, simply unbothered by things going around them that they believe has nothing to do with them. They don’t want to hear about the bad going on in the world, but as a result also fail to see all the important and good things happening in the world as well. They live in temporary bliss, until that lack of knowledge comes back to bite them.

I used my own photo to create the vector image, and covered up where the eyes and mouth would go. The eye piece represents blocking out the media, maintaining the blissful life, and the “X” over the mouth represents being unable to speak about certain topics they would have no knowledge about. I surrounded my photo with a bubble, which is the bubble that a lack of journalism exposure creates. I even played around with the background colors, using a gradient of purple and yellow. Purple is associated with luxury and protection, and yellow is associated with optimism and hope. I felt these fit well with the idea of temporary bliss and being hopeful that one can live like that forever.