Multimedia Feature by James Notarianni
Music and Video Editing by John Vogel
Artist's Note: Creating Alchemy of the Mind, a short graphic novel, took me on a two-year exploration of artistic identity, beginning in 2018. This book summarizes a series of questions I had while studying for a master’s degree in illustration at University of the Arts, London. What kind of artist am I? What does being creative mean to me? How do my influences help me create?
Struggling with mental health disorders throughout my life has impacted my decision making, for good and bad. Because the book represents my creative process, I use various art styles. From looking at the artwork alone, it’s clear each style I tried reflects different outlooks on life. The accompanying narrative is meant to direct readers through these different perspectives.
Alchemy: to transform, create, and combine. It’s something the human mind does on a daily basis. This video can be viewed multiple times, as can the book it's based on, creating different meanings for each individual viewer. It’s a cyclical story that tries to answer its own questions—only to discover that every end is a new beginning.
Special thanks go to John Vogel, TW's art director, for video editing and original music.
James Notarianni’s work is a product of mixed media and comic studies. Over the years, he has been influenced by artists and writers such as Bill Sienkiewicz, David Mack, Kent Williams, Dave McKean, Jock, and Jason Shawn Alexander. Telling stories through image and text helps to explain, or visualize, mental illnesses. Art and art therapy can give others a chance to see the hidden illness and helps to heal the mind.
For more information and purchase details for the graphic novel, follow James Notarianni on Instagram @_jnotarianni.
