Undergraduate / Figure Drawing - Cornell Architecture - Supplement [5]

Although quite an unusual inspiration, figure drawing sparked my interest in architecture. Growing up, I always thought architecture was somewhat cold and heartless: it's steel structure, perfect linearity, caged enclosure, and disconnection from nature. When the thirteen year old me picked up particular heavy, magical book, filled with watercolor sketches of the human figure in motion, I entered an epiphany, and forever dismissed my previous assumptions.

Calatrava's Turning Torso left me in complete awe - the human torso in the most simplistic, box-like form was remarkably the inspiration of a building structure. I started my journey with figure drawing four years ago at the Art Center College of Design. Each drawing session was not only my source of improvement, but also my source of comprehending the importance of structure. I spent hours sketching the figure using simple geometry, searching for balance and grounding the figure so there is a sense of stability. I would then build up layers of muscles and joints, to fully illustrate the human body. The process is very mathematical: I try to estimate the proportion of the body, distances from each major point, and scale my observations down to the size of the paper. However, there is also a sense of freedom in figure drawing when I let go of reason. I seek movement by swaying my arm to mark lines that connect throughout the body so there is a certain spirit to the pose. In contrast, Calatrava deconstructed the figure, but still kept the gesture to retain the essence of the original form. What a genius.

To further my interest in architecture and figure drawing, I spent a summer at the Rhode Island School of Design Pre-College Program. My foundation design instructor assigned a form study project with no boundaries. I, being highly passionate about structure and form, had many ideas just waiting to be exploded onto paper. My interest in figure drawing definitely contributed to the organic shape of my sculpture. I believe that the female body has a more intriguing form; consequently, my project relied heavily on curving patterns inspired by the female figure. To make my idea come to life, I rummaged through "Second Life", an art material dumpster in which students and faculty donate their used, or spare materials. Looking through different textures of paper, potential materials, and imagining what everything would look like put together was like solving a really fun puzzle. After shopping through precious junk, I spent a lot of time trying to make precise, clean cuts on textured paper, and flawlessly gluing all the pieces down on a plastic tube. The process required a lot of experimentation, and I made a lot of mistakes before reaching my ideal design. However, achieving my vision placed an everlasting smile on my face.

I understand that Cornell architorture will refuse to offer me sleep, and sometimes make me unhappy and overstressed, but the process of pushing myself beyond control will mold me into a more time efficient, creatively driven individual.

Undergraduate / "art classes" - common app - messy and creative [3]

I feel like i have a lot of grammar mistakes. please give feedback. thanks :)

My best friend Jasmine is silently reading her favorite children's book while I'm busily pouring crayons out of multiple boxes ready to make my masterpiece. My Mom walks in panicking, "Lisa! You're making such a big mess again, why can't you be more like your friend, Jasmine?" Jasmine has always been my foil, and my mother's "ideal" daughter. While she is organized, I'm a mess; she's obedient, I'm naughty; she loves books, I love drawing.

I was constantly scolded for being my chaotic, creative self; consequently, I became a bit ashamed that I wasn't good at math, nor a fast reader, like my best friend. In Arcadia, a close-knit community where many Asian Americans move to for the school district, kids are groomed from an early age to do well academically so that they can get in to that oh so coveted college prep track. I begged my mom to send to me to LA County High School of the Arts, where I could flourish in an artistic environment. My mother replied with a firm, "No." Both my parents came from strong academic backgrounds, so they were fairly strict in molding me into a daughter who brings "honor" to the family through grades and test scores.

I fell into my parent's hypnotic spell and slowly stripped away bits of my creativity. Although my grades and my academic skills started to rise, my imagination started to sink. I became a boring academic student just like everybody else, and I hated it.

My solution: balance my parent's expectations in academics with my love for creativity. There was no way I was going to give up my creative pursuits entirely. I found a leeway within all the madness; my favorite escape is during the weekends, when I liberate my creativity through drawing and various types of design challenges. My alarm clock rings every Saturday morning, reminding me to attend my enjoyable art classes. My Art Center Saturday High classes last about six hours, but to me, class seems only two hours long. Having my hands black and dusty from charcoal or even slit by an exacto knife doesn't bother me at all. I am willing to pour out my energy to create a masterpiece, whether it's in figure drawing, model building, or typography.

These art classes bring me back to my roots, and I smile to myself and think, "You are making such big mess again creating these artworks, but it's good that you are your own individual."