All That I’ve Learned

Coming into my first semester at Parsons, I felt that my work wouldn’t necessarily be at the level of many of my peers because I thought that there were so many more people more talented than I was. I knew that I had talent and passion for what I did and the work I put out but I just thought that maybe it wouldn’t be enough. Now that the semester is over, I have seen how my work has developed and how it stacks up to many of my peers and what I have realized is that I can produce the same quality of work if not better than many of my peers. I see that I have great potential as an artist and a creator which has been very fulfilling to me.

My relationship to writing, reading, art, and design has changed a great deal over the course of the semester. I’ve learned that all of these art forms go hand in hand and often times cannot exist without the other. They add value to one another which is something I did not realize before.

What I have discovered about the relationship between making, thinking, and writing is that they are parts of the creative process that continue throughout the extent of the project. Making, thinking, and writing all coexist within the same realm of creation and one never ceases to inform the other. One could be making something, then thinks or discovers something pertaining to it which informs the making and the writing process or vice versa.
I don’t believe in failures or failed attempts. Every attempt made in the the process of fulfilling a project creates a building block for a new and improved idea, even if it is not perfect from the beginning. The original ideas we have, although maybe not entirely polished, help us narrow down on a better concept.
Reflecting on the projects we did this semester, the biggest risks I probably took were allowing myself to be vulnerable in front of my peers and professors. It has always been hard for me to open up about topics of importance to me. Getting the chance to work on the Monument Project allowed me to showcase something that has always been important to me but that I felt wasn’t important enough to others. I’ve also always been very shy about showing my artwork with other people and throughout this semester, not only in Studio & Seminar but in all of my courses at Parsons, I’ve been forced to do just that. This has helped build my confidence in what I do a great deal.

I really enjoyed the creative writing we did in Seminar. In my education up until now, most of the writing I did in school was always focused on research papers and collecting the facts; we were never really allowed to write from our imagination or from an emotional level. Through working through real-life situations and proposals such as the Monument Project and having us imagine the future of the monument, not only did it allow me to visualize the long-time impact that my work could have, but it also allowed me to dream big and see further than facts would allow me to see.
The way I can continue to grow as a maker and a writer is to read more. I think this is something that I’ve often overlooked and stopped doing around the age of ten or eleven. I just recently started reading again and although I know it is obvious but I had forgotten how much knowledge books carry! It’s incredible. Reading on a more consistent basis would allow me to expand my mental horizons and create more meaningful works.

I had a really phenomenal time working this semester and I appreciate this experience for pushing me to the boundaries of my creative potential. I am excited to continue working and creating works that add value to my life and the lives of others.

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