I am a visual artist interested in how artistic style and narrative form influence audience perception. My project examines how a visual fiction short story affects the way young adults perceive non-heterosexual relationships, with a focus on which artistic and stylistic techniques are most impactful. Rather than relying on mainstream romantic tropes, this project centers on visual storytelling choices such as composition, pacing, color, and character framing to explore how emotional meaning is constructed through art.

To complete this project, I will conduct a combination of library and internet research on visual storytelling, media representation, and audience perception. I will then create an original visual fiction short story and present it to a young adult audience. Audience responses will be collected through written reflections and surveys, and analyzed for patterns in emotional interpretation and perception. The final product will include the completed visual fiction short story along with a reflective research analysis that discusses how artistic intent aligns or conflicts with audience interpretation, and what this reveals about the role of artistic style in shaping perception.