I was ready to explore conceptually.
You can make a painting of a telephone, right?
But what's new about that, right?
If the phone is something that you see right
in front of you and you're just copying it,
what are you adding?
What are you taking away?
What are you bringing to it?
What makes it more interesting?
And having a professor just look at you
with just such assurance
and such belief in you that you could do this
really inspired me.
And then, that's been a trend
with every studio art faculty,
every class that I've taken.
If you show passion and interest in art,
they are
just more than willing to take you under their wing.
I think a lot of professors, here,
encourage you to take risks,
even if it means that you fail.
And
you have to go through the failure
to get to the success.
And that's not a lesson that I feel like I
can often embrace in other classes, here,
because it feels like it's pretty high stakes,
it's not like you can experiment
and maybe fail in an essay,
whereas, it's encouraged in all the art classes I've had.
You don't do something that you're comfortable with.
Go do something, if it fails,
you've learned something from it.
Sort of embracing the creative process in that way.
It's work that you can make personal.
So, unlike a lot of other subjects,
it's not just about trying
to tailor your work to the grade.
And fitting some sort of rubric,
because there are no set-in-stone guidelines.
So, the goal is really to
fulfill what potential envision you have for yourself.
There're actually a lot of people who modify engineering
with studio art; that's pretty common, here.
I do think they complement each other very well.
It's like you get to use both sides of your brain.
So, when I'm frustrated with one, I can come to this.
And when I'm frustrated with this,
I can go to the other.
So, I kind of like how
different they are,
but they're also very similar.
They depend on logic and hard work, and time.
You've received constructive criticism constantly,
and so, I think that studio art has given me
the ability to give and take constructive criticism
really well.
And a lot of times I'll go into situations
and people will be really nice about my work.
And I will actively say, "No, no, no, no, no.
"Thank you for being nice,
"but I need comments, concerns, criticism.
"I need to know how I can make this better
"because it's, obviously, not perfect, right now."
I cannot say enough good things about the professors.
And many of the professors
that I have had,
in this direct department,
have been
some of,
for me, my most significant, sort of, life mentors.
Even just beyond design and arts.
And
absolute role models in
every single way.
And then, the second moment came,
this past winter,
when I also had Thomas Beale,
again for Senior Seminar,
and made this giant, colorful arch
to put out in front of Baker Library,
and I didn't,
it was more of a concept piece,
but I didn't think it was actually gonna
be able to have it, especially, put out there,
outside where everyone's walking.
But he helped me.
Everyone, (laughing) lot's of people on this campus
helped me get it there
and had to go through a lot of
permission.
Just need to find the way you like to express.
However you're, it is, you're saying it, of course,
the most effective way to express it, and
I would say that
everyone has a bit of creativity in them,
and I know that we, sometimes, get a little bit
nervous when having to present it to others,
but
find your niche,
find your voice,
and feel free to express it the way you want to.