"Through drawing" - SAIC Artist Statement

Hi everyone! I'm really awful at writing. I couldn't put my ideas down on paper if my life depended on it. If anybody could give me some feedback on this it would be really great!

I often find myself in situations where there aren't words to describe what goes on in my head, but drawing gives me a way to show the world my thoughts. I am always discovering new ways to transfer my thoughts into images, using both traditional media and technology. I like to experiment with different mediums and subject matter. Typically I use pens and pencils on paper, but have also used Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet to draw digitally. Occasionally I incorporate watercolor with my drawings and play around with collage to add more dimension to my pieces.

Much of my work includes human anatomy. Faces, figures, and skeletons come through in a lot of my drawings. I am fascinated by the human body and love exploring the different ways I can portray it in my art. I have juxtaposed human imagery with things such as deep space, floral patterns, animals, and colorful abstract environments. Including people in my work satisfies my need to draw something I love and also gives those viewing my art something that they can relate to. I feel that people tend to connect more with art that includes something familiar to them, and humans are something that everybody is very familiar with. I want people to be able to look at my artwork and see my intentions as an artist, but be able to see themselves within it as well.

I believe that I need a flourishing creative environment that allows my mind to grow, and I know that by attending SAIC I would be able to attain that. For my first year of college I went to DePaul University and was dissatisfied with the school and myself. It wasn't the right environment for me and I felt very limited both artistically and mentally. I was looking for a place where I could learn from others, my peers and teachers, as well as myself, but found myself in an atmosphere that didn't allow me to do so. I have complete faith that SAIC will help me grow as a student and an artist, and look forward to all the opportunities that the school has to offer.

Now my next concern is if this is long enough. The application website doesn't specify how long it should be! sigh.

here's what i think about your essay.
*to me, personally, i dont think it's necessary to compare the school you attended with this new school you're applying to. It is okay to mention that you're dissatisfied, but maybe in a more subtle way throughout word selections.

*para 2: you might wanna add brief details about alexander grey - why he inspires you, something like that..and also, i think it's great that you're telling the admission committee that your main interest is capturing death and present it to your works, but some colleges want their student to be flexible and versatile, so maybe you can add some sentences to show the adcom that - eventho you are focusing your work mostly on death, you're also capable of portraying lots of different things

*para 1 is well-written , and i can really feel that you are passionate at art. it's very personally-written. but, maybe a lot of other students use the same perspective to start their essay. para 1 usually is the most important part of the essay , so you have to surprise the adcom, and make them to know more about you and read the 2nd para and so on. my suggestion is try to find an unusual and creative way to represent what you have written.

that's all, i think... but hey, i'm not a pro either, so it's probably very subjective :) goodluck on your admission process!

Through drawing I can take something intangible and bring it into the visual world. I use my art as a way to present emotions, ideals, and thoughts in a way that everybody can understand. My work usually comes from an overwhelming emotion or idea. I feel the need to explain myself but can never find the words to do so, and drawing gives me a way to show the world what goes on in my mind. I am always discovering new ways to transfer my thoughts into images, using both traditional media and technology. I normally use pencils, charcoal, and pen on paper, but lately I've been experimenting with drawing in Adobe Photoshop using a tablet.

With the direction I'm trying to take my artwork I feel like I need a flourishing creative environment that allows my mind to grow. I know that by attending SAIC I would be in a much better place than I was before. For my first year of college I went to DePaul University and was very dissatisfied with the school and myself. It wasn't the right environment for me and I felt very limited both artistically and mentally. I am a self-taught artist and was looking for an intensive, structured way to help me learn and expand my abilities, but I didn't find that at DePaul. I have complete faith that SAIC is a much better choice for me and that I'll be able to finally get the education that I want. try and work around this paragraph. its all right not to satisfied with the traing from your previous school but at least there might be some few thing you might have learnt there, try and write on those and state how helpul it has being to you.

Ah! I don't like this intro. I'm sorry to be a negative Nancy. Drawing takes physical things and puts them in a 2-dimensional world. Well, also, it takes your intangible ideas and ... well, actually, yeah, you are right! I was thinking wrong. Ha ha... but I still don't really like it. I mean, it is sort of... a fancy way to say something obvious.

Right here!! This is the good part:
I feel the need to explain myself but can never find the words to do so, and drawing gives me a way to show the world what goes on in my mind. ---I would like it a lot if this sentence was the first sentence of the essay. It has real energy. All the other stuff... it's stuff everyone knows about are. But this sentence is special. It really shows your own unique way of thinking.

:-)

Great intro! I like that first sentence.


This detail should not be at the end of the first paragraph. You should put it somewhere else. At the end of the first paragraph, express the idea that you want the reader to remember.


This sentence gives me a clue about what UNIQUE CONCEPT you might give the reader to "remember you by."


This is too vague. It is sort of a stereotypical, generic thing to say. I want you to blast them in the face with your uniqueness.

:-)

Also, sentences are better without "I believe." Look at how much stronger this is: I believe that I need a flourishing, creative environment that allows ...