Undergraduate / Undergraduate Common App Essay - "Mirror-crafter" [3]

Hello, this is a personal essay I've been working on for a couple of the schools I'm applying to. I've never really written personal statements before, so I can't seem to find the line between too dramatic/cliche and not personal enough. I haven't reached the word limit yet so I'm open to add onto this and develop certain ideas if that is the case. Any feedback is appreciated, thank you!

every artist is a mirror-crafter

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
(250-650 words)

Growing up, I crafted mirrors.

Wood and canvas looking glasses, small hand mirrors of sketchbook-bound paper: my mirrors always strayed from the typical composition of glass and metal, making it difficult to even perceive them as mirrors in the first place. For years, I simply recognized them to be what they were to the common eye: art.

The key conflict of my childhood that shaped my personality was my struggle with social integration. After moving back to America from China, I molded myself into a blank slate to overcome cultural differences. My single defining interest, drawing, remained undeterred despite my self-consciousness, but even that expressed dissatisfaction. Ripped and crumpled paper that litter sketchbooks from uncontrolled erasure strokes portray frustrations. Acrylic landscapes stack together inside drawers in shame of unoriginality. Sticky notes of diverse characters and individuality bury within textbook pages in fear of judgement. Each rendered painting and lunchtime doodle was a reflection of my will to express myself, but my lack of confidence rendered my expression as silent.

The summer going into high school, I stumbled upon a realm of mirrors: an online art forum. Despite my reluctance with social interaction, I was compelled to submit a piece of my work. The feedback I received was unexpected; along with welcomes and constructive criticism, I was contacted by many to simply connect interests. I was amazed by the contact within such a diverse community simply through sharing artwork and I decided to further explore this form of sharing.

With the constant flow of support from different artists, I developed a more confident perspective on my abilities and began seeking ways to support others as well. By creating art-related contests and activities, I was granted a leader role in the community in which I've thrived and increased the population to over eleven thousand young artists. I began participating in volunteer work more often, encouraging children to express their own creativity through collaborative art sessions. I was reached out to by my local library to design and illustrate for their website and events, granting valuable experience with an employer. I contributed to multiple world building projects with other artists, creating stories and researching design.

Shuffling through archives of old art years later with new perspectives on both myself and the world, I finally recognize my reflection. Rather than noting the inexperience showcased with every rough line and scratchy color, I am exposed to a record of self-discovery and improvement. What was once a way to pass time molded into a medium in which I can drive for a future career and make connections with those I meet.

My mirrors, crafted with paper and canvas rather than glass and metal, make it difficult to visualize appearances, but they reveal more than the first glance or surface image. They display character. And even after recognizing my self-discovery, I remain determined to expand my perception. I strive to continuously create and reflect back, to grow off myself -- and knowing that every artist is a mirror-crafter -- to inspire others to reflect off my work just as much as I have reflected off theirs.

Undergraduate / SAIC Art Statement - My Reflections Off Art [2]

Hello! I'm applying to SAIC this year and would like some insight on my essay/statement before I submit my application. Anything helps, thank you!

SAIC application essay

Prompt: Writing is a vital component of being an artist, and an extremely important part of being a student at SAIC. Tell us about you, your art-making practices, and why you are a strong candidate for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's (SAIC) undergraduate program.

Include information about what inspires you, what does your artistic process look like, share why you are interested in and utilize certain materials, exhibitions in which you have participated, or other activities that contribute to the making of your work. If you are applying to the BFA with an Emphasis in Writing, your statement needs also to address how you imagine a studio arts environment will impact your writing practice. (The application won't accept a response shorter than 250 words.)

When questioned about my motive behind art, my answer has always been ever-changing: to communicate, to innovate, to inspire. But digging through inexperienced scribbles and dusty sketchbooks, it's more prominent that the best way to describe my devotion for art is its ability to reflect. Not only does reflecting off of other artists' work expand my insight on the world, but my own also drives me to be more aware of myself. Looking back at myself through paper and canvas, through painted records of past experiences and emotions, I am better able to grow off my conflicts and flaws to determine my values. To me, discovery of my persons is just as important as discovery of the world - only after I have cleared the lenses of my perspective can I appropriately set my work out to induce change.

The natural world is the root of inspiration for most of my art. Besides enjoying studies of different species and biomes through art, environmental preservation is an important cause to me and I constantly connect it to my work as I develop new projects and skills. The range in which life presents itself - colors, textures, and form - is fascinating and I often look to it for reference while drawing. Although I'm shifting my path into concept design, I still look for ways to advocate through art, constantly keeping its importance in coming generations in mind.

My favorite mediums consist of graphite, oil paint, and an iPad Pro with pen. The range in textures and versatility permits me to cover both observational sketches and fully rendered projects. This traditional and digital mix grants me experimentation in different fields of drawing so I may not only cover necessary skills but also reach out to new forms of creation in the technological era.

After finally determining art as a future I want to pursue, I set out to expand my connections and put it into use in the world. I've participated in multiple art competitions such as the Texas State Fair art exhibition as well as Scholastic Art and Writing. I became more involved in volunteer work and received multiple opportunities to inspire children with collaborative chalk art sessions. I advanced from learning digital art off a small community to leading it, growing the forum to over ten thousand young creators. Although my art style continuously leaps between fine arts and concept work, I strive to develop both so I can master both traditional skills and attributes for my potential future career as a concept artist. I have high hopes that SAIC can assist me in this goal; as I continue to discover myself and open my subjects to more compelling territories, I hope to receive professional criticism in encouragement of expanding my abilities and more opportunities to transform people like how art has transformed me.