Design of the Week – “A Self-Portrait in 8-Bit”

Saturday was my birthday. And with that comes two things:

1. Yes, I was born on April 1st. I am very much a fool.
2. I am another year old.

I very much understand that a person at my age I am going through a cross roads in life. Trying to decide who I am suppose to be, what I am going to do with my life, etc. I by no means consider myself an expert on figuring life out (maybe an expert at drinking coffee or watching Netflix). My life is just getting started and I am so excited to see where it is going to lead me.

Over my birthday weekend, I had the great opportunity of going to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City. It is filled with such incredibly beautiful pieces of art. A few of my favorite artists and their work are housed here. As I strolled through each hall and period of art, I found myself drawn not just to my favorite styles of work (impressionism, landscapes, and baroque) but I found myself studying the portraits and self-portraits hanging on the walls. Studying the strokes of the brush, the details of the clothing, the expressions of the individual, and their pose. It made me think about what kind of self-portrait I would like for myself.

And thus a digital self-portrait of myself was born. I love 8-bit style video games and their retro stylization. So it made the most sense for the kind of self-portrait I wanted for myself.

As I keep moving forward with my life, whether I have life figured out or not, I will always strive to find the best version of myself I can.

-Adam