Lily Boutelle
Pick a Path
My name is Lily Boutelle, and I am a first-year student majoring in Hospitality and Tourism Management. I have always had a creative side, which was nurtured by attending an art school from kindergarten to 8th grade. I further pursued art in high school by enrolling in the International Baccalaureate Visual Arts course. This image, “Pick a Path,” is one work from a collection I created called Societal Pressure. The ideas behind my collection are driven by my interpretation of how society impacts people. Even though society is a concept, it acts as an omniscient individual whom people respect out of fear of how others may perceive them. Society captures people through this fear by creating “social norms” that they must abide by to be accepted by others. It also creates a facade through the promises of happiness and success by following society’s rigid structure. Once a person becomes a part of society, they begin to feel the pressure that it puts on them to be the “perfect citizen” by always portraying happiness and hiding one’s true identity. The pressure to maintain society’s perfect lifestyle weighs a person down, causing them to fall apart. At this point, some people leave behind society’s rules and expectations, while others decide to stay. The ones that leave decide that they would rather follow their dreams and find their true identity than face the pressure society places on them to be considered “acceptable.” These people stop listening to what society says about them and choose to make their lives their own. The other people who decide to stay begin to realize that everything society told them they need leads to nothing. From this perspective, the concepts for my photographs were formed. The photograph “Pick a Path” is the point in the narrative where a person is faced with choices that they must decide between that will affect the course of their life. They are “picking a path” that will set them on a specific trajectory. There are many options that can feel overwhelming as a person feels divided as to which path to take. Many times, a person looks to make the “right” choice, even though they rarely know what that choice is or if there even is a “right” choice. Many times, choices are made based on the person’s own experiences, morals, and beliefs. It is the selection of a path to follow that separates one person from another.