Kami Miller

This series is very special to me, not only because the topic of understanding emotions is important but also because it has allowed me to branch out and explore as an artist, take risks, and have fun creating. Art had become homework to me recently, and this series made it fun and enjoyable again. It made me want to make art. I hope that this playful joy comes through to those who view my work.
              

This series was inspired by a study done by UC Berkeley which challenged the idea that humans had six primary emotions, but rather twenty-seven. I had always felt that many of my emotions did not fit into the “big six” categories; happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, anger, and disgust. I thought these categories were minimizing the emotions I was feeling, and others did not fit within these well. However, having twenty-seven primary categorical emotions allows for more depth and variety, it helped me to understand what I was feeling. For years I had been confused by my emotions or experienced the wrong emotion in certain situations without realizing it. This series caused me to take a deep look into each of the emotions and how they made me feel, which allowed me to understand them better than I had before. I hope that these sculptures, my personal visual representations of emotions, can help others understand their feelings as well. 
             

 Each sculpture is made similarly, starting with the same base and made with wire, using plaster to create the form. The emotions are communicated through the shape of the forms, the textures and materials used, and the colors and finishes. Each aspect was carefully thought of based on my interpretations, and how I see the emotions I feel. For many, I tried to induce the emotion within myself to help communicate and express myself. 

The twenty-seven emotions: admiration, adoration, aesthetic appreciation,  amusement, anger, anxiety, awe, awkwardness, boredom,  calmness, confusion, craving, disgust, empathic pain,  entrancement, excitement, fear, horror, interest, joy, nostalgia,  relief, romance, sadness, satisfaction, sexual desire, surprise