Bryun Holt

This series is titled Instant Gratification. It is inspired by the 1972 Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, which revealed our innate struggle between impulse and patience. That simple choice—to wait or indulge—echoes powerfully in today’s world, where attention spans shrink and instant pleasure often outweighs lasting reward.

As a lifelong painter, I once thrived in slow, deliberate creation. But I’ve felt my own shift: the urge to work faster, to seek quick visual payoff. Photography became my response—immediate, immersive, and a departure from the solitude of the studio. Each piece begins with a photo capturing indulgence, thrill, or vice. I then digitally manipulate the image—heightening color and texture—before layering in mixed media, paint, and embellishments by hand.

The series naturally adopted the language of contemporary Pop Art: bold, saturated, and rooted in mass culture. Stickers play a key role—symbols of fleeting reward and digital affirmation, evoking both childhood and our current emoji-filled lives. They speak to how we brand ourselves in an age of clicks, filters, and curated expression.

This hybrid process reflects the core tension of the work: a craving for immediacy alongside a longing for depth. It honors my background in painting while acknowledging my changing pace, my aging hands, and the distractions of a digitized world.

Instant Gratification is both a personal reckoning and a cultural critique—inviting viewers to consider not just what brings them pleasure, but how and why they pursue it. In a world wired for now, what does it mean to wait?