Kelsey Calder

What is My Relationship to Coffee?

Where My Research Began:
I started by thinking about coffee as a substance. Why do we consume coffee? What are the benefits? Negatives? How are these all tied to coffee culture? 

What I Found: 
Coffee actually has a ton of benefits - alertness, brain function, improved memory. It may also help prevent Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, guard against skin and other cancers and even reduce the chance of Kidney Stones. However, the drink can also worsen things like anxiety, depression, affect fertility and pregnancy, and cause headaches or insomnia.

People can develop a caffeine dependence (difference than addiction). Regular coffee drinkers become acclimated to the wake-up aspect of coffee each morning. Caffeine does cause surges of dopamine but not enough to unbalance the system like other drugs. (It's not considered addictive)

Beyond the benefits, a cup of coffee is a daily ritual for a lot of people. The caffeine helps their brain start and have a productive day.

Coffee Culture: 
Coffeehouses date back to 16th century Turkey, but the drink has been around much longer. They were established as a social hub, as well as artistic and intellectual centres.

Coffee culture also references the rapidly growing coffee franchises - starbucks, tim hortons. Coffee breaks are often implemented in work places around the 1950s. n 1951, Time Magazine noted that "since the war, the coffee break has been written into union contracts". Coffee breaks actually improve work.
– 80% of U.S. workers surveyed feel more valued when their employer provides free coffee
– 76% feel that coffee is relaxing
– 79% say that they are more productive when they have access to coffee

Bottom Line/End Take Away - People drink coffee to feel good. (duh)

Like millions of other people in the world, I consume coffee. It's rare to meet anyone who doesn't partake in a 'Morning cup of Joe'. I'm interested in the topic because it felt like something we never give a second thought to.

I wanted to explore the culture around coffee and caffeine. My research started out more scientific, thinking about coffee as a chemical or drug and how it effects our body.

I transitioned into thinking about our relationship with coffee and the culture surrounding it. It is so integrated into our society - coffee shops are on every other street, work places often offer 'coffee breaks', and 'Do you wanna grab a cup of coffee?' is such a common phrase.

Then I honed in on coffee culture and really wanted to think about my personal relationship with coffee.

Sources

Transition into Art: 

The next question was how to create something out of this information?
I chose coffee as the main material; I've heard a lot about coffee water colours and painting with coffee but have never done so myself. I thought this would be a great introduction into a new medium.

I decided instant coffee would be the easiest to control - add water or granules to control colour. I researched a bit more into instant coffee vs. bean coffee.

Instant coffee is 'real coffee', beans are roast, ground and brewed. It's then dehydrated and packaged. Instant coffee also has a lower caffeine content.

Critique Questions; 

Any other subject matter that I could use?

Suggestions?

Is the project relatable? 

Tiktoks

How To Make This Art?

Inspiration: Michael Aaron Williams

 
I thought really hard about my relationship with coffee when thinking of subject matter - what can I paint with coffee that makes sense?

I decided on body parts and organs.
Brain - represents how caffeine activates the mind, ties into caffeine improving memory
Heart - represents the love for coffee, caffeine gets the heart going, blood pumping