Artist of the Week: Morally Wrong Illustration Series by Joanne Ju
“I say that flat is the new black; that 2D is the new avant-garde; that a surface doesn’t have to be ashamed of being a surface. Technology users of the world, unite: you have nothing to lose but your bas-relief buttons. Let us march forwards together, spurning chrome, into a cleaner, lighter future.”
– Steven Poole
Joanne Ju, is a 2D artist, illustrator from San Francisco, California, United States of America – and somehow she is also a mind reader. She chose to express how we all felt, and to tackle how society wrongfully perceived some ideas. “Morally Wrong – The Irony of Life Lessons” is her project, and Joanne has this to say about it – “From very early age, we are taught that if we behave in certain way and learn to follow certain rules, only good things can come. We grew up hearing endless folk wisdoms, and accepted them as rule of thumb.
What I hope to accomplish is to create a series of images that challenge all those moral lessons we blindly followed as children. Each of my illustrations shows the downside of a certain life lesson, through an ironic and humorous manner. These illustrations will tell you that not every rule is universally applicable.” Lets start the day with a huge smile on our face. Ow, and I almost forgot. If you fancy Joanne’s art you should go see her behance profile – It’s amazing!
1. The Irony of “Take Risks”
When we reached an age, when we were old enough to realize that we need to fight for our goals, our tutors, our guides into this world, whether they were parents, or teachers, they all told us to take risks, and to realize that by doing so we will accomplish everything that we set in our minds.
What they didn’t tell us, and we had to learn this the hard way, is to balance the risk, and to be aware of the chance of failure. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing that we are failing till’ we get it, I’m just saying that it’s just incredibly stupid to say “Take Risks” without taking into account a ton of variables that can destroy your plan.
2. The Irony of “Wait Your Turn”
Sure, in a utopic world where everything shines and sparkles the joy of one thousand unicorns petting puppies, this would be a valid principle – wait your turn, you are not alone in this world. But in the real world, where everything is dark and gritty, and only a handful of people are entitled to the worlds treasures, you will be eaten alive if you wait for a shot of the big thing.
You will not grow into anything. And no, I’m not a cynic, I’m just a realist. If you want something, and you know you want it bad, you have to get it, and by doing so, you may be leaving a pile of corpses and shattered dreams behind you. I’m not saying it’s okay to do so, I’m just saying how it is.Be prepared to be hated if you want to reach you dream and squeeze it tight into your hands.
3. The Irony of “Put Back Things Where You Find Them”
I laughed out loud when I first saw it. If you take it literally, and if you’re sort of dain bramaged, all sorts of bad things will happen to you. Not because, you deserve them, just because it’s how evolution works – survival of the fittest.
4. The Irony of “Share Everything”
Now let me get this straight. It’s all about that guys sharing his love for his old teddy bear, his creepy love for his old teddy bear to be more on to the point, and his Oedipus complex, right? Why couldn’t it be about that women that clearly isn’t capable of realizing how sweet this may be? Who am I kidding, it’s just weird and it makes me shiver. I’m sure that in our world there must have been an event like this.
5. The Irony of “Be Yourself”
Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have. Unless, you know, you aren’t in the military and you dream is to become Pagliacci – Master of the Clown Pose. Be yourself can bring you utmost joy, or it can alienate everyone around you. Cynics, realists know this, and unfortunately, if they want to be socially active, they need to tone it down.
But lets be honest here, this is the beauty of life, everyone being different, everyone acting like they want to, with their uniquequirks, their strong personalities. I wouldn’t want to live in a world were everyone is so self conscious that their true selves aren’t seen. Come to think of it, it’s actually how it goes right now, because of how society perceives a man, a woman, a child should behave. It’s kind of sad.
6. The Irony of “ Don’t Be A Quitter”
It’s best, at times, to quit the thing that you hate, or it makes you sick. “Don’t be a quitter” surely addresses people that choose to quit their project without completing them, that choose to abandon their dreams because they failed once. Don’t be a quitter with the things that matter to you, that you love doing. Be a quitter with the things that hold you back, and don’t let you achieve your full potential.
Joanne Ju brought a huge smile to me today, hopefully her illustrations had the same effect on you too. The conclusion is to think for yourself and stop taking things so literal, only you know when you have to be yourself, when to quit something or not, and when to take risks. If you have anything to add, please do so by posting in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you!
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