The statement should be a 500- to 750-word overview of the applicant's academic and professional accomplishments and should demonstrate a high level of interest in and a highly developed understanding of the discipline. The applicant should describe knowledge of the discipline, approach to past work, qualifications for graduate study and intended focus, as well as personal and professional goals.
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I believe images are one of the best ways to educate people. Since I was young, I've always used drawings and paintings as a way to express and communicate my feelings, now I want to use and expand my abilities to help people with them.
I have lived my whole life in Peru, an impressive country full of wonderfully rich cultures and globally known food, with so much room to keep growing. However, it's still a developing country, where discrimination from different institutions is painfully present in our everyday life. As a queer person, I have seen how many people like me grow without knowing or being able to express what they are feeling, making them extremely vulnerable to discrimination and self hate. This is mostly caused by a lack of exposure and understanding about sexuality and gender identity, and their outdated status as "taboo" themes.
During my last years of college, I decided I would dedicate my senior thesis to this issue. I wanted to create an illustrated fairytale where queer people would be able to see themselves inside the characters and their struggles, giving them the opportunity to feel safe and accepted. I wished to create a story that would help people like me, a story that would have helped me when I was a child. A year later - and a lot of research later as well -, I still want to dedicate my career to the exposure of queer themes, addressing them as many times as possible, reaching out to as many children and adults as I'm able to reach. These problems need visibility, especially in Latino countries like Peru, helping future queer generations live as peacefully and fully as everyone else.
However, I know there are many things I still need to learn to become the illustrator I want to be. I am certain SCAD will give me the tools and the environment to grow, and through them I will acquire the skills that will lead me into the professional path I yearn to have. I have been drawing for almost half my life, and loved every illustration class I have been able to take, they gave me a space to explore that passion I've had for so long, but they were limited, oriented to graphic designers - not full time illustrators.
I learned much more than just Graphic Design in college, experimenting with different techniques and aptitudes like screen-printing, sculpture, drawing and animation. Although I'm no professional in some of those fields, the opportunity to explore them gave me a well-rounded education as an artist, and left me eager to learn so many other things. On the other hand, I've had great opportunities and projects as a graphic designer, allowing me to grow as a communicator, and teaching me valuable lessons that I will surely apply in this new path.
I have spent the last few months working as an illustrator for an animation studio, and it has been a wonderful experience. In this studio, we have been creating short movies that will help terrorism victims in the Peruvian Sierra with their legal procedures, helping them find their lost loved ones, or obtaining medical and financial support. Knowing my characters and illustrations are helping people has made me feel complete; reassuring me about how important this is for me. After this experience, I have no doubts this is the right career for me, and that I will keep finding ways of using my illustrations to help others.
I learned about SCAD when I was fourteen while I was slowly learning how to draw, and I knew I wanted to study there. Now, almost ten years later, I'm trying to fulfill that childhood dream, trying to create the future I've always wanted, in the field I love the most. The timing wasn't right when I finished high school, but after everything I have lived and learned during these years, I am certain now is the time, and that Savannah will be the perfect start for my illustration journey.
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I believe images are one of the best ways to educate people. Since I was young, I've always used drawings and paintings as a way to express and communicate my feelings, now I want to use and expand my abilities to help people with them.
I have lived my whole life in Peru, an impressive country full of wonderfully rich cultures and globally known food, with so much room to keep growing. However, it's still a developing country, where discrimination from different institutions is painfully present in our everyday life. As a queer person, I have seen how many people like me grow without knowing or being able to express what they are feeling, making them extremely vulnerable to discrimination and self hate. This is mostly caused by a lack of exposure and understanding about sexuality and gender identity, and their outdated status as "taboo" themes.
During my last years of college, I decided I would dedicate my senior thesis to this issue. I wanted to create an illustrated fairytale where queer people would be able to see themselves inside the characters and their struggles, giving them the opportunity to feel safe and accepted. I wished to create a story that would help people like me, a story that would have helped me when I was a child. A year later - and a lot of research later as well -, I still want to dedicate my career to the exposure of queer themes, addressing them as many times as possible, reaching out to as many children and adults as I'm able to reach. These problems need visibility, especially in Latino countries like Peru, helping future queer generations live as peacefully and fully as everyone else.
However, I know there are many things I still need to learn to become the illustrator I want to be. I am certain SCAD will give me the tools and the environment to grow, and through them I will acquire the skills that will lead me into the professional path I yearn to have. I have been drawing for almost half my life, and loved every illustration class I have been able to take, they gave me a space to explore that passion I've had for so long, but they were limited, oriented to graphic designers - not full time illustrators.
I learned much more than just Graphic Design in college, experimenting with different techniques and aptitudes like screen-printing, sculpture, drawing and animation. Although I'm no professional in some of those fields, the opportunity to explore them gave me a well-rounded education as an artist, and left me eager to learn so many other things. On the other hand, I've had great opportunities and projects as a graphic designer, allowing me to grow as a communicator, and teaching me valuable lessons that I will surely apply in this new path.
I have spent the last few months working as an illustrator for an animation studio, and it has been a wonderful experience. In this studio, we have been creating short movies that will help terrorism victims in the Peruvian Sierra with their legal procedures, helping them find their lost loved ones, or obtaining medical and financial support. Knowing my characters and illustrations are helping people has made me feel complete; reassuring me about how important this is for me. After this experience, I have no doubts this is the right career for me, and that I will keep finding ways of using my illustrations to help others.
I learned about SCAD when I was fourteen while I was slowly learning how to draw, and I knew I wanted to study there. Now, almost ten years later, I'm trying to fulfill that childhood dream, trying to create the future I've always wanted, in the field I love the most. The timing wasn't right when I finished high school, but after everything I have lived and learned during these years, I am certain now is the time, and that Savannah will be the perfect start for my illustration journey.
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