Hi everyone. Thank you for taking time to look at my essay. I getting ready to apply for my MFA in lighting design. This is my first draft on my SOP, any feedback or comment are greatly appreciated.
Many people choose to express themselves in different ways; some through visual arts, others through literary means. I express my best creative abilities through the reinforcement of storytelling using the medium of lighting. I embrace the role as an artist; to learn about the history, the artist and the story, order to fully contribute to and help create the performance. Now that I have begun to grow and develop in this field, I could not imagine wanting to do anything else.
Theatre was never the field I thought I would choose as a career. I always wanted to be a psychologist or do computer engineering. In middle school I started working on the production crew for our annual school shows. Through that experience I began to see what it really took to turn a middle school gym into the exotic world for Alice in Wonderland.
When it was time to make the decision on which high school to attend, I chose Denver School of the Arts (DSA) over my local high school. I felt DSA placed me in an environment surrounded by creativity. At DSA I majored in stagecraft and design studying in all areas of technical theatre. It wasn't until my sophomore year when I found a passion for lighting design. The production was Aida: The musical. I was the assistant lighting designer to my mentor and teacher at the time. We transformed our proscenium theatre into the ancient land of Egypt filled with water effects, projections, moving lights, and follow spots. There was something about the creative challenges of using the psychology of the story and fusing it to the technical aspects of lighting design that hooked me. During the following year I began working for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company (CPRD) as a stage hand. Flash forward to my senior year; I'm designing two of DSA's productions. I also continued my relationship with CPRD and was designing their main season show under the guidance of my mentor. That was a crucial turning point in my life as I lost my mother unexpectedly to illness during the time I was in production for CPRD's fall concert. I found out then that I could release my own emotions as I find them in the story using lighting.
I decided to attend Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) much for the similar reasons I chose to go to DSA. This time the school offered the teaching and technology for me to grasp and understand the true science and art behind lighting design. The past four years I have attended SCAD have been some of the best of my life. Under the wings of the faculty, I was quickly able to excel in the department both in the classroom and in production. Having the privilege of being chosen to design five realized productions including the upcoming production of The Three Musketeers. My work on Three Musketeers is particularly exciting because I will be the single student designer on a team of SCAD faculty. I've also continued my relationship with CPRD through designing shows while I'm home on holiday or sometimes touring depending on my course load. SCAD also afforded me the opportunity of being chosen for a professional internship with Walt Disney Entertainment as a Entertainment Tech in Orlando. This experience is one of the highlights of my career working on shows like the Lion King and Dream along with Mickey, meeting designers and crew chief, and having a hand on experience with the leading production technology and tools. During my time at SCAD I began to grow as a designer, finding a process that works for me and the production, learning to express my ideas to others, and finding a voice as a designer.
All these experiences of joy and pain have brought me to the next step, advanced studies in lighting design. My initial hope is to expand and explore on the art and craft of lighting design. Ultimately evolving more on my style and process as a designer. I feel that the program at SCHOOL emphasizes how to think as a designer by creating a technically accurate scaffold on which I can learn to express my own vision. With faculty like NAME and NAME I expect to be enlightened by their understanding of design and aesthetics. In particular I look forward to learning from NAME. I associate with their innovative sense of design and consciousness of energy efficient solutions in their design. Additionally, SCHOOL attracts some of the most talented and accomplished artist in the world, as students and visiting artist, I am excited to meet them and make connections with others in the design field. Coupled with the surrounding of CITY, SCHOOL provides a diverse atmosphere where open dialogue and free exchange of ideas can take place.
Where am I going? I want to become a professional lighting designer open to all the opportunities that the field has to offer. Collaborating with other prominent designers and artist, combining design and art to create a unique synergistic whole, that is greater than sum of its parts. Embracing the fields of theatre, dance, event, and themed entertainment to create work that is relevant to the advancement of lighting design and storytelling. Most important to me is paying it forward. I believe it is pivotal to take all that I have gained and use them to help the next generations of designers.
Many people choose to express themselves in different ways; some through visual arts, others through literary means. I express my best creative abilities through the reinforcement of storytelling using the medium of lighting. I embrace the role as an artist; to learn about the history, the artist and the story, order to fully contribute to and help create the performance. Now that I have begun to grow and develop in this field, I could not imagine wanting to do anything else.
Theatre was never the field I thought I would choose as a career. I always wanted to be a psychologist or do computer engineering. In middle school I started working on the production crew for our annual school shows. Through that experience I began to see what it really took to turn a middle school gym into the exotic world for Alice in Wonderland.
When it was time to make the decision on which high school to attend, I chose Denver School of the Arts (DSA) over my local high school. I felt DSA placed me in an environment surrounded by creativity. At DSA I majored in stagecraft and design studying in all areas of technical theatre. It wasn't until my sophomore year when I found a passion for lighting design. The production was Aida: The musical. I was the assistant lighting designer to my mentor and teacher at the time. We transformed our proscenium theatre into the ancient land of Egypt filled with water effects, projections, moving lights, and follow spots. There was something about the creative challenges of using the psychology of the story and fusing it to the technical aspects of lighting design that hooked me. During the following year I began working for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company (CPRD) as a stage hand. Flash forward to my senior year; I'm designing two of DSA's productions. I also continued my relationship with CPRD and was designing their main season show under the guidance of my mentor. That was a crucial turning point in my life as I lost my mother unexpectedly to illness during the time I was in production for CPRD's fall concert. I found out then that I could release my own emotions as I find them in the story using lighting.
I decided to attend Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) much for the similar reasons I chose to go to DSA. This time the school offered the teaching and technology for me to grasp and understand the true science and art behind lighting design. The past four years I have attended SCAD have been some of the best of my life. Under the wings of the faculty, I was quickly able to excel in the department both in the classroom and in production. Having the privilege of being chosen to design five realized productions including the upcoming production of The Three Musketeers. My work on Three Musketeers is particularly exciting because I will be the single student designer on a team of SCAD faculty. I've also continued my relationship with CPRD through designing shows while I'm home on holiday or sometimes touring depending on my course load. SCAD also afforded me the opportunity of being chosen for a professional internship with Walt Disney Entertainment as a Entertainment Tech in Orlando. This experience is one of the highlights of my career working on shows like the Lion King and Dream along with Mickey, meeting designers and crew chief, and having a hand on experience with the leading production technology and tools. During my time at SCAD I began to grow as a designer, finding a process that works for me and the production, learning to express my ideas to others, and finding a voice as a designer.
All these experiences of joy and pain have brought me to the next step, advanced studies in lighting design. My initial hope is to expand and explore on the art and craft of lighting design. Ultimately evolving more on my style and process as a designer. I feel that the program at SCHOOL emphasizes how to think as a designer by creating a technically accurate scaffold on which I can learn to express my own vision. With faculty like NAME and NAME I expect to be enlightened by their understanding of design and aesthetics. In particular I look forward to learning from NAME. I associate with their innovative sense of design and consciousness of energy efficient solutions in their design. Additionally, SCHOOL attracts some of the most talented and accomplished artist in the world, as students and visiting artist, I am excited to meet them and make connections with others in the design field. Coupled with the surrounding of CITY, SCHOOL provides a diverse atmosphere where open dialogue and free exchange of ideas can take place.
Where am I going? I want to become a professional lighting designer open to all the opportunities that the field has to offer. Collaborating with other prominent designers and artist, combining design and art to create a unique synergistic whole, that is greater than sum of its parts. Embracing the fields of theatre, dance, event, and themed entertainment to create work that is relevant to the advancement of lighting design and storytelling. Most important to me is paying it forward. I believe it is pivotal to take all that I have gained and use them to help the next generations of designers.