Better Lives Blog 2
Before I studied this unit, I knew little about sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. After I attended all lectures of better lives, I had a deeper understanding of these three topics. While studying at LCF, I have opportunities to carried out my creation through various supports provided by the school. But in this process, I didn’t realize what was the connection between these themes and my project before I attended the lecture. Through lectures on these topics, I have reflected on my previous project.
I chose contemporary portrait photography as my better lives project. For me, photography is more about recording moments in real life. It is a way to share your feeling, your idea, your emotion to the world. Diversity is the theme that is most closely connected to this unit for me. During one of the outside shooting, I captured in my lens people from different races and different faiths gathered here in a bazaar, they sold the things are also very different. Under the lens, everyone is a beautiful picture of peaceful coexistence, but in real life, there are still many incidents of discrimination. Cultural differences are a very important reason. In the future, I think that I should first understand more about the different cultural and historical backgrounds of different places, and then to create my project on this knowledge, instead of evaluating these people and things based on my own opinions. Diversity means that we should be more tolerant of different cultural groups, but it does not mean that we must all be tolerant, in addition to respect others, I think we should have our own critical thinking.
Nowadays, the world is affected by the epidemic, and sustainability and social responsibility have become particularly important. People’s daily life and production have been greatly affected. During this epidemic, many fashion brands and influencers have donated a lot of money and materials. Some brands have also turned factories into places to produce medical supplies. Without a doubt, as a student, my ability may not enough to support me to do these things, but we could start out small. For example, when we think about how to display our works, we could consider how does it affect our society? What it will bring to us? We cannot undermine the environment because we want to satisfy our own desires. I suggest we should think about the consequence before we do something.
In conclusion, the three themes of sustainability, diversity and social responsibility are all related to each other. Throughout the entire fashion industry, no matter what position they are in, these three themes are closely related to us. This not only affects the industry, but even the entire human civilization and ecological environment. I am very grateful that the lectures on these topics have given me a new understanding. In the future, I will think more carefully about the impact of my work on others.