The University Of California Irvine 's College Drop Out Statistic For Freshmen Engineering Majors

From a young age, I knew art was what I wanted to pursue. I’ve had a love of photography since I was a little girl, and my older brother, who was a photographer at the time, nourished this passion. He taught me how to use a camera before I had even graduated elementary school. I took every chance I could get to take photos. From the moment I bought my first DSLR camera in seventh grade, it never left my sight. My mother called it my ‘security blanket’ and everyone at school called me ‘camera girl’. It felt like a dream come true when I was accepted into the Digital Arts program at Stafford Technical Center; it was like opening a door to another world, one that understood how deep this passion ran and how far it really could take me. In Digital Arts, we study all types of art. Although my adoration for photography lives on, I ended up falling in love with graphic design also.

It was my freshman year of high school when I took Drawing A; I quickly learned that I had a skill that I had previously ignored and began embracing it. Sophomore year, though, was when I truly started using my art. It was during this year that I received a 4 on my AP-Studio Art portfolio, and won four awards at Scholastic Art and Writing in photography. Art gave me a feeling of accomplishment that I didn’t usually get in the rest of my academics, so I always tried my

The pencil liberates my stresses and sorrows. Bare and unimpeded, my mind is able to isolate itself from anything that was happening in my life. At my art table, which is merely an escape from reality, my curiosity is able to wander. Within this room, five blank canvas's look in on me as I become a mold of my imagination. A step inside my world develops into a sea of color and exploration. The vibrancy of the walls resonates throughout. Over the years, my room has served as my oasis. It’s my escape from monotonous and mundane routines. It’s my exploration of another side of me. I observe such works of art almost as much as I create. Taking notice of my classmates’ innovations and inspired by their creativity, my paintbrush begins to alleviate stress. I strive to produce pieces others will appreciate, but often find myself to be the true admirer. My pride, in this world, is driven simply by my own curiosity to express myself. I credit this side of me as the “passion” that supplements my insane drive for success. This passion has sparked critical thinking in me as well as how I see failure. Life is a blank canvas and you can truly draw whatever you want, and if you fail, you start over and don’t make that same mistake again! Hard work takes ideas quite far, but true success is derived from ingenuity and the generation of

I graduated from Hilliard Darby High School this past spring. My love for art began very young with my father who always made sure to encourage my creativity. I remember making coil pots with him during the summer and then painting them. In the ninth grade I took painting which I immediately became attached too. For the past four years I have continued to expand my abilities and strengthen skills with the help of my teacher Mrs. Kulick-Brown. From there I have completed several commissioned pieces for teachers and their families. Painting has taught me a lot about color and composition. During high school I also was involved in ceramics where I competed in the annual ‘Feats of Clay” competition. I love the focus and serenity I experience

Although the continuation of mastering subjects can provide a building of previous skills, experiences outside of comfortable environments in creative learning catalyze self-improvement. In the art world, Michelangelo was an artist who became famous for his prolific sculpting, such as his depiction of the religious figure, David. Despite public fame in the art society for his sculptured renderings, Michelangelo continued to challenge himself and pursued other artistic forms such as painting. And his creative experimenting paid off not only in accomplishing a self-improvement, but also growing his artistic recognition. Similarly taking on challenges in the art world, this school year, I choose to take AP Art History. I began the class with limited knowledge consisting of only basic facts. However, as the semester progressed, I began to become familiar with the subject and started to notice that i could interpret pieces of art beyond a basic analysis. By making the personal choice to experiment in a subject I knew little about, I was exposed to an entirely different view of humanity; and therefore, improved my individual growth. Additionally, exploration separate from comfortable settings in physical activities creates

The direction of my art-making has changed considerably since I started my BFA at NSCAD. My path until then had not exposed me to many of the possibilities within the arts and my practice was quite limited. Almost every single professor here has impacted how I think and see the world around me. I have been given tools for critical thinking and techniques to express my ideas. I have been repeatedly, and sometimes reluctantly, forced out of complacency and comfort and this has always led to growth.

I have been an avid student of art since my freshman year of high school, and have developing

When I graduated from high school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to pursue in my future plans. I knew drawing comics interested me, but was told countless times from the peers around me to strive for a more universal degree such as graphic design or animation. Even though I was against the idea at first, I soon decided that would be wise advice to follow. This is where I made a mistake, I started to lose interest and it felt as if nothing had changed since high school. I can now look back from this experience and see where this was a major learning curve in my life. Soon after starting college my family needed extra assistance at home so I decided to take a break from my education and help my family by getting a job while also helping out at home with our former family business. Through this experience I truly learned a great deal. The people I met, and the experiences I

The road I have traveled to reach this very moment has not been an easy one, but it’s one I would not have traded for the world. I have dreamed about attending DigiPen for years, but I was not ready. I always struggled with the idea that my basics could get me anywhere, I never believed that my work was any good. Even though I had people coming to me asking for commission work since my JR year of high school. I didn’t believe I had what it takes to attend the best school in the country for digital art and animation. As of late I’ve finally found who I am, and what I want to become. But, most of all I want to show people that no matter your situation in life, you can make it. This is the story of Shane, my story.

My mom notices, offering words of comfort. My heart’s voluminous thrumming adopts a steadier beat as my panicked breathing eases. I stumble in silent bewilderment as people of all sorts carry their work down the stairs. Finally arriving on the ground floor, I observe the other portfolios around me, displayed for judges to cast their belittling assessment. The art astounds and inspires me, leaving worry that the work I had not spent as much time on would pale in comparison.

Throughout my three and a half semesters of art studies at York College of Pennsylvania, the exposure from the Graphic Design program has built my foundation from the classes, lectures, and hands on experience. I feel that I have grown in developing and experimenting with the Adobe programs, photography, typography, and fine art skills.

studied various art mediums to explore creative talents. In my junior year, I decided to

Because of this I’d been asked the same question for years: “Do you want to pursue art?” The answer was always the same. Yes! But the real question was what path to seize. Painting and drawing were just hobbies. What I absolutely loved was digital art. All the cartoons I’d seen, every animated detail I fawned over, the countless large-eyed characters that littered my sketchbooks—it all clicked into place. This was the final petal on my sunflower.

I’ve always been interested in the arts, always one to doodle on papers in class, and run to the sidewalk chalk during recess. But over time, that love of creativity that had invariably been a part of my personality slowly trickled away. Perhaps it was lack of motivation, likely my depression played a part, maybe it was just a part of growing up, whatever the cause, during the beginning of my freshman year of high school, I found that I hadn’t created a single sketch, much less a finished project, in over a year. I’d packed up my pencils and put away my brushes for what seemed to be the last time. That all changed the day I walked into that museum and found my love of art rekindled into the burning passion it had once been. The glorious modern building of the Kimbell Art Museum became my refuge, my second home, and most importantly the inspiration for the next phase of my life.

"Once again Congratulations to the class of 2014" When I begin to exit the room circulating with applauses, scattered nick names, and screams , it finally registered. This is it! ''This is the first step on the road of adulthood, and all I could think about is how my Art could impact the world. I've always been a creative, and artistic. When I was young growing up my play time was crafting or drawing on the sidewalk with chalk rather than tag or hide and go seek. From cutting fabric from old clothes to making houses out of construction paper. Art has always been a natural skill for me , however as time went on I began to get frustrated in my lack of skills and my urge for further improvement.