SAIC Statement of Purpose on yourself as artist

Hi! I'm writing my statement of purpose for School of The Art Institute of Chicago, but I feel that it's kinda sloppy right now. I would love to know how I can tighten and clean it up.

Any suggestions? Is it too long? Confusing? Please rip it apart. XD

The statement of purpose is a personal essay that provides insight into your specific reasons for applying to SAIC. In the statement of purpose, you should discuss your interests, creative influences, educational goals, and anything else that is important for us to know regarding your interest in art, design, and visual culture. Through your statement of purpose the Undergraduate Committee on Admissions is interested in finding out more about you as an individual and how you represent yourself in a written format.

I take my sketchbook everywhere. At 5˝ × 5˝ inches, you can always find it tucked inside my bag or a coat pocket and when I say it comes with me everywhere, I mean everywhere; grocery stores, the subway, even rock concerts have all been graced by its presence. In its 128 pages are pictures and words in pencil and ink of all the things that plague my mind throughout the day-teapots and octopi, birthday cakes and mermaids, and, of course, people, their exaggerated bodies in black and white. If anybody really wants to know me it's all in there, full of drawings of the strange things that make me the person I am.

That's the way I approach all my art. As a student who comes from a free school, a very alternative form of education that offers no classes or grades and depends directly on the participation and decisions of it's students, I have come to realize that I have to throw myself fully into everything I do in order to really end up with something I can be proud of. There's no difference between me as an artist, a student, or a leader-at the end of the day, I'm Leelah Holmes, Drawer of Comics, Player of Pianos, and Doer of Things. I find that approaching my art in this way, as a multi-faceted person, helps keep my art honest and interesting; in some cases humorous, in others poignant and brutally neurotic.

Visually, I'm obsessed with energetic and flexible line work. I love how the manipulation of a line can tell a story, whether it's one of happiness, anger, or delusion. With this in mind, typography is also an important part of my art. The shape and meanings of words is just as much a component in art to me as color or texture. A lot of my art hinges heavily on words, either as a direct inspiration or interspersed throughout.

Right now, my art is mainly illustrative, usually with clear, un-murky colors. As I continue to grow as an artist, I hope for these images to transfer to many other mediums as well; I dream of soft sculpture and borderline performance art, full of presents, hidden treasure, and secrets. I believe that one of the most exciting parts of art is audience interaction, and at the end of the day I want the viewer to be delighted and simultaneously bemused, like walking into a surprise birthday party. What draws me towards SAIC is the opportunity to learn and combine the new techniques that would lead to this vision. From what I've learned of SAIC it also seems like a community that values collaboration-exchanging and combining skills is a system I really thrive off of, and in many ways, is one of the best ways for me to learn.

This has really great voice!

I feel some of the sentences are a little wordy though.
Like this one "If anybody really wants to know me it's all in there, full of drawings of the strange things that make me the person I am." This could be shortened to make a more powerful statement. BAM! I think the transition to para. 2 would be strengthened too.

Virtually could deleted from para. 3

I liked it!

Thank you! I have a problem with making things a lot more wordy than they need to be...

EDIT:I changed the sentence you suggested.
"If anybody really wants to know me they can just look in my sketchbook, full of the strange ideas that make me the person I am."

Is this clearer, or still too convoluted?

In this sentence you omit some words: "which is" seems to belong after that comma. But you could lso write this sentence in a simpler way:

"If anybody really wants to know me they can just look in my sketchbook full of the strange ideas that make me the person I am."

From what I've learned of SAIC it also seems like a community that values collaboration-exchanging and combining skills is a system I really thrive off of, and in many ways, is one of the best ways for me to learn.-----ha ha, I see whatyou mean about using too many words. Yes, trim them away! :-)

From what I've learned of SAIC it also seems like a community that values collaboration -- exchanging and combining skills is a system in which I can really thrive. off of, and in many ways, This is one of the best ways for me to learn, because _________.