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Process Note

Ideation and Initiation

The guiding question for my project (why do we romanticize sadness?) arose almost as soon as we had begun work on the Sad G*rl unit. Once I felt I had a solid understanding of what the “sad girl” figure was meant to represent, I immediately drew a connection to an example that I was familiar with; Pinkpantheress. I had been listening to her music for years, and the melancholic atmosphere that her music creates coupled with the Internet-inspired aesthetic she cultivates suggested to me that she was a useful example to use when analyzing the “sad girl” phenomenon.

While I did my research into her music and videos, I felt something begin to impress itself on me. It did not take long for me to realize that it was the familiar gut impulse that we feel when we are emotionally affected by a piece of media. I could tell that there was intentionality to the music, and that it was causing the specific reaction I was experiencing. The feeling was familiar; I knew it well from countless books, movies, games, and songs. I realized that it was this exact feeling that has caused Pinkpantheress to jump to mind in the first place.

The cause of this feeling was not merely that the songs were sad, or that they were composed in a minor key, or that the music videos were filmed in black and white. It arose from a combination of these and other elements that lend themselves not only to a tragic story, but to the mind’s interpretation of tragedy. I could see that the music was causing me to reflect on sad moments in my own life, and connect these experiences to the ones PinkPantheress was writing about in her songs. While this did lead to some uncomfortable moments, for the most part, this sadness was a welcome one. This was the feeling that led me to my guiding question.

Stagnation and Revision

As we began the work of curating materials for our project, I tried to find archival pieces that related strongly to the subject matter at hand. However, I found this difficult, and it created some cognitive dissonance for me as I worked. I had an image in my head that I felt sure was the answer to my question, and it was tied very directly to the work of PinkPantheress, Lana Del Rey, and others that pioneered the internet sad girl phenomenon. The pieces of art and literature I researched during the material-gathering process left me disillusioned, as I felt they had very little, if anything, to offer to the conversation I was trying to have with my question. This, coupled with multiple sick days in which I was unable to gather materials on campus, left me lagging behind and without a clear sense of direction.

It was during our peer review class that I was able to find my stride with the project again. In the draft for my statement of purpose, I had offhandedly mentioned Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Picasso’s famous Blue Period as examples of the creative romanticization of sadness in history. These were both examples that I was familiar with, and I had thrown them  into the statement of purpose merely as a way to make a secondary point about the timelessness of sadness in art and culture. However, my groupmate suggested that I expound on these examples as I went forward in the drafting process, and this idea sparked a reassessment of my guiding question.

I found my passion renewed as I immersed myself in the works that I had already pinpointed as prime examples of glamorized sadness. Instead of concentrating my definition of the “sad girl” on a specific timeframe with limited source material, I was able to analyze sadness as a universal concept that transcends technology, culture, and time itself. While this does undoubtedly result in some “broad-strokes” oversimplification of certain trends and ideas over time, I found that I was able to reduce this simplicity by focusing on specific examples, and breaking down why these examples stand out as historically relevant to this day. As I collected resources, I also found myself creating my own work, which took inspiration from both the classic examples I was analyzing as well as the work of PinkPantheress and other contemporary artists.

Conclusions

As my work collecting and curating came to a close, I felt as though I was reaching an answer to my question. Through the process of immersing myself in both classic and contemporary examples of sadness in art and literature, I had found a “common thread” that seemed to tie everything I had collected and created into one. In addition, the Tumblr blog itself seemed to have found a “vibe” that I was happy with. 

One aspect of the project that I had not initially considered was that it gave me an opportunity to work within Photoshop to create unique artistic elements of the blog page, such as the banner. As a graphic designer, any opportunity to express myself and my interests creatively is much appreciated, especially in an academic context.

The answer that I settled on for my guiding question was that humans are innately empathetic, and the expression of sadness gives us solace. Through sharing, receiving, and reacting to works derived from sadness, we find that we are not alone in our emotional experiences. I experienced this on both ends as I worked on the project; revisiting Hamlet and the work of Picasso renewed my appreciation for these timeless examples of tragedy and melancholy, but I also found myself experiencing some catharsis and healing as I created music and artwork for the project. In this way, I have gained a new perspective on the works that informed my project from start to finish. By simply realizing the effects that creative expression was having on me, I was able to understand the communities that have formed online that celebrate that very form of creation.

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closing thoughts

Why do we romanticize sadness?

We romanticize sadness because we are empathetic creatures. We feel for each other, we feel each other's pain. It feels good to see that we are not alone in our suffering, and it feels good to see that others can relate to our struggles.

There is a dynamic relationship between artist and viewer. The viewer sees the art and interprets it in such a way that means something to them. The artist, then, receives this feedback and sees that their artwork meant something. In this system, even the expression of negative emotions results in a positive outcome for both artist and viewer.

The drive to express our anguish through art is the same drive that compels us to seek comfort from our friends and family during tough times. It is the human impulse to belong. When we create art and share it with others, we see that we are not alone. And that is all the reason we need to keep going, no matter how sad we are now.

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Statement of Purpose

My guiding question for this unit is “Why do we romanticize sadness?”. This question struck me as I familiarized myself with the “sad girl” phenomenon. As I researched the movement and many of its central figures, it became apparent that the expression of sadness was, in a way, being glorified and celebrated. This made intuitive sense to me, as I had seen this form of expression numerous times throughout my own life, but putting it into words naturally raised the question of why. Why do we wish to display our own negative emotions through a creative lens, and why are we attracted to creative displays of others’ sadness?

It doesn’t take long to realize that the phenomenon predates the Internet. There are numerous famous artists and writers who have created tragic, melancholy, or depressing masterpieces that have stood the test of time. Shakespeare’s Hamlet or Picasso’s famous Blue Period are examples that jump to mind. Sadness transcends medium, era, and culture. We have always been drawn to works that inspire a sense of sadness within us.

In the case of Shakespeare, his epic Hamlet is widely considered to be his magnum opus. The play follows Prince Hamlet as he seeks revenge for the murder of his father, a quest that ultimately ends in success, albeit with his own death. The play is a hallmark of literary tragedy, and demonstrates Shakespeare’s masterful understanding of the human psyche. His depiction of Prince Hamlet is layered and nuanced, and suggests that Shakespeare was an extremely empathetic writer who understood not only the raw emotions, but the ways those emotions manifest themselves in different people.

Pablo Picasso’s “blue period” was a relatively short stretch of time, between 1901 and 1904, when the famous painter’s style dramatically shifted towards darker, more depressing themes. This stretch of time immediately followed the suicide of a close friend of his, an event that shocked the young Picasso to his core. In response, he created many of his most renowned works of art; all sharing the same blue-gray hues and despairing subject matter. Much of the work he produced during this period depicted scenes of life on the streets of Barcelona; beggars, disabled people, and even prostitutes made their way into his work. While it was shunned at the time for being alarming and disconcerting among high-society viewers, the art Picasso produced during this period is widely regarded as depicting haunting scenes with tact and emotion.

These examples, and countless others throughout history, prove that the expression of sadness through art is not unique to our generation. Many authors, poets, artists, and musicians have come to be defined by their particular contributions to the field. While it may be that the expression of sadness through romanticized art is more widespread today than ever before, it is certainly not new. Humans have been exploring and glamorizing their suffering since the dawn of storytelling.

That is not to say that the Internet did not revolutionize how we view sadness. It is now easier than ever to produce and consume creative works, meaning that anyone with an Internet connection can express themselves or connect with others who are expressing their own inner pain. As is clearly shown by the “sad g*rl” phenomenon, entire communities can be built around the central idea of sadness.

My collage is intended to explore the artistic expression of sadness, and to identify the common threads that bind these artistic expressions together across time. Most importantly, it is intended to analyze why these works became as influential as they did, and what chord they struck in our collective consciousness.

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Works Cited

Schildkraut, Joseph J., and Alissa J. Hirshfeld. “Mind and Mood in Modern Art I: Miró and ‘Melancolie.’” Creativity Research Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, Apr. 1995, p. 139. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj0802_3.

Schröder, J., Berger, T., Meyer, B. et al. Attitudes Towards Internet Interventions Among Psychotherapists and Individuals with Mild to Moderate Depression Symptoms. Cogn Ther Res 41, 745–756 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-017-9850-0.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Oxford University Press, 1993.

Kollwitz, Käthe. An Der Kirchenmauer (At the Church Wall). 1893, The Benton Museum of Art.

Rand, Ellen Emmet. The Mountaineer. 1917, Benton Museum of Art.

Picasso, Pablo. The Old Guitarist. 1903-04. Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection. 

Steiner, John. “Mourning in Hamlet: Turning Ancestral Ghosts into Ancestors.” International Journal of Psychoanalysis, vol. 104, no. 6, Dec. 2023, pp. 1025–41. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/00207578.2023.2222808.

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Steiner, John. “Mourning in Hamlet: Turning Ancestral Ghosts into Ancestors.” International Journal of Psychoanalysis, vol. 104, no. 6, Dec. 2023, pp. 1025–41. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/00207578.2023.2222808.

This analysis of Shakespeare's Hamlet observes how the presence of the "ghosts" of Hamlet's deceased relatives represent Hamlet's inability to process their departure. Steiner suggests that the blockage is caused by "melancholic objects" that demand "repair and revenge".

Hundreds of years ago, Shakespeare was able to recognize and analyze the process of grief, and how sadness can distort our perspective of the world. Writing with such nuance and perspective is an act of compassion, perhaps one that couldn't be properly recognized as such until centuries had passed.

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Picasso, Pablo. The Old Guitarist. 1903-04. Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection.

During Pablo Picasso's "Blue Period", the tone of his work shifted dramatically towards darker and more depressing themes. This change was brought on by the suicide of a close friend. Picasso's paintings would be defined by deep blues and stark whites during this time period.

Picasso's creative expression reflects a man coping with the grief of losing a loved one. The artwork is of a darker nature, often depicting the less prosperous aspects of society at the turn of the 20th century. While not commercially successful, the work Picasso produced during his Blue Period would go on to become some of his most influential.

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This quote comes from Act 5, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, perhaps his most influential and revered work. The line is spoken by Prince Hamlet, who implores his friend Horatio to stay alive in order to tell the story of the tragedy that led to Hamlet's own impending death.

For some, the artistic expression of sadness is almost a matter of duty and responsibility. In order to pay proper respect to the painful, traumatic experiences we undergo in our own lives, we create and share works of art that convey the nature and extent of these feelings.

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Hatcher, William, et al. “Community-Level Internet Connectivity and Mental Health: An Analysis of United States Counties.” Journal of Mental Health, vol. 28, no. 5, Oct. 2019, pp. 490–94. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2019.1581356.

This study finds a positive and significant relationship between mental-health days taken and Internet usage within households. One potential explanation for this is the increase in exposure to negative media online, causing a deterioration in mental health over time. It would be interesting to narrow this study down to a sample of teenagers, and to examine how they use the Internet as a potential factor in determining the state of their mental health.

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Schröder, Johanna, et al. “Attitudes Towards Internet Interventions Among Psychotherapists and Individuals with Mild to Moderate Depression Symptoms.” Cognitive Therapy & Research, vol. 41, no. 5, Oct. 2017, pp. 745–56. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-017-9850-0.

This scholarly article discusses the efficacy of "Internet interventions"; that is, mental-health and depression-prevention messaging delivered via the Internet. The paper identifies these interventions as uniquely helpful for those suffering from depression, with a strong positive response from those affected in comparison to more clinical depression treatment. "Internet interventions" could be used to effectively combat sadness, depression, and loneliness if implemented in the communities that propagate and circulate "sad g*rl" media.

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A track I made for this project; breakcore elements inspired by PinkPantheress.

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Kollwitz, Käthe. An Der Kirchenmauer (At the Church Wall). 1893, The Benton Museum of Art.

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Rand, Ellen Emmet. The Mountaineer. 1917, Benton Museum of Art.

And you, boy, you think you've felt all there is to feel.

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Archival Annotation - "New problems in intercultural education"

"New problems in intercultural education" is an article that first appeared in the Journal of Educational Sociology in December 1956. The article was written by Don J. Hager, a sociologist who contributed to the American Commission on Civil Rights. Given the time period this article was written in, and as mentioned by the author himself, the American consciousness was transitioning away from the questions raised by World War 2 and towards new questions being raised by the Cold War. Hager posits that this shift in cultural attention was highlighting glaring issues in the relatively new phenomenon of intercultural education: the form of education that introduced children to a diverse range of cultures and groups and encouraged understanding and cooperation.

Hager's writing is significantly dated, using turns of phrase and preconceived notions that today would be considered downright offensive. Hager suggests that conflict is beneficial between different cultural and ethnic groups, and that we shouldn't try to teach "understanding" or "cooperation". He argues that conflict is a natural state that will produce better and better systems and ideas the more it arises. Needless to say, this theory is easily discredited today.

On the surface, this piece has little to do with the guiding question, "Why do we romanticize sadness?". However, it does engage in an interesting and relevant conversation with the work of F. Thelandersson in "Social Media Sadness: Sad Girl Culture and Radical Ways of Feeling Bad". Her work examines the expression of emotion in a culture dominated by the Internet, 60 years after Hager's commentary on intercultural education. The very systems of education that Hager criticized have been in place for decades now, and our world has evolved drastically since the time of "New problems". No longer is there a question of if we should try to cooperate across cultural boundaries; the question is how we go about doing it successfully. The expressions of emotion in Thelandersson's work are sometimes informed by a failure by society to accommodate these cultural exchanges; this accommodation is now the norm, not the exception.

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Mind and Mood in Modern Art I: Miro and 'Melancolie'

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Guiding Question

Why do we romanticize sadness?