The SOP details my experiences, academic background, and goals. I believe the goal part is lacking right now. My experiences are vast, and academic background are moderate. I'm excited about the MFA program at U of I sorry if my SOP feels hastily written. Thank you in advance to anyone helping :)
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I have always known my path; defining that path has been harder than following it. I have been involved in the arts since an early age, creating fine art and design pieces for personal and more recently commercial reasons. My experiences such as; the Marines, cancer, college and how I have responded to them, gives me a unique perspective which I express in my pieces. Graduate level work at the University of Illinois would allow me the opportunity to pursue advanced areas; teaching, curating, and exhibition of my pieces.
Grade school gave me the first opportunity to create digital artwork and I have been passionate ever since. I studied traditional mediums in high school and started to expand from 2D to 3D digital art. The high school provided me space to exhibit my work and helped create a proposal for a digital arts course. I worked on my personal pieces as representations of what I saw but felt unsatisfied. I started to incorporate symbolism and allegoric ideals into my art pieces as my personal views changed.
My perspective on the world changed when I joined the Marines; the world was smaller, more violent and death was everywhere. I still continued to sketch to help move my mind through my transition from civilian to military life. Art was no longer about creating allegories or symbols, it was about a personal experience that made me apart of my art and my art about me.
The world gave me another obstacle while serving in the Marines: External Gonadal Germ Cell Tumor. I went through rounds of chemotherapy tied to my bed with a sketch book and mechanical pencil. Every drawing allowed me to cope with a wide range of emotions, from rage to understanding. My journey continued with surgery to remove the cancer; it ended with the loss of my left vocal cord and a damaged diaphragm. The experience taught me that life might lead down a path of hardships but it provides valuable inspirations for my artwork.
College started to open my mind to a variety of modern artists, most notably with the help of Michael Salmond's research and lecture class on critical topics in art. Artists like Mel Chin provide great inspiration in new media and conceptual artwork. His piece "KNOWMAD," inspired me to begin experimenting with game art. I started doing research on ROM hacking for Nintendo games for my senior project and I continued to research various game development tools for creating artwork. After working with Unreal engine and Quake engine; I moved towards Source engine to experiment with audio in my latest piece. Researching various games and development tools has given me the opportunity to connect with a group of artists from multiple countries across the globe.
My disabilities are reflected in my artwork in the digitally created and manipulated audio. The audio for my pieces are from text to speech glitches that create faux sound effects using combinations of letters or visualizing objects in the audio wave. My first experience with handling an exhibit was HIVE (How I View Everything), a video art festival. I worked with designing promotions, marketing, and jurying the show,and this role propelled me to event coordinator for This is Not a Computer: Time Arts Senior Show 2009. As event coordinator my role was to set milestones for the show, assist in every aspect and organize the show for the day of the opening. Running the exhibit was the most exhilarating experience and invaluable opportunity to demonstrate leadership. I also had work in the show, exhibiting my first game art piece and an animation inspired from military training manuals.
My goal is to inspire and educate undergraduates to rely on their creativity and continue their understanding of the evolving technology after college. The location for University of Illinois allows me to coordinate new media exhibits and give undergraduates the opportunity to exhibit their work in three metropolises; Chicago, Saint Lious, and Indianapolis. The university has access to faculty, the Krannert Art Museum, assistantships and graduate studios; providing me with the inspiration and freedom to explore game art, sculpture, installations and other mediums. My self motivation and guidance from faculty will help strengthen my response as an artist in the coming world and provide me with many opportunities.
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I have always known my path; defining that path has been harder than following it. I have been involved in the arts since an early age, creating fine art and design pieces for personal and more recently commercial reasons. My experiences such as; the Marines, cancer, college and how I have responded to them, gives me a unique perspective which I express in my pieces. Graduate level work at the University of Illinois would allow me the opportunity to pursue advanced areas; teaching, curating, and exhibition of my pieces.
Grade school gave me the first opportunity to create digital artwork and I have been passionate ever since. I studied traditional mediums in high school and started to expand from 2D to 3D digital art. The high school provided me space to exhibit my work and helped create a proposal for a digital arts course. I worked on my personal pieces as representations of what I saw but felt unsatisfied. I started to incorporate symbolism and allegoric ideals into my art pieces as my personal views changed.
My perspective on the world changed when I joined the Marines; the world was smaller, more violent and death was everywhere. I still continued to sketch to help move my mind through my transition from civilian to military life. Art was no longer about creating allegories or symbols, it was about a personal experience that made me apart of my art and my art about me.
The world gave me another obstacle while serving in the Marines: External Gonadal Germ Cell Tumor. I went through rounds of chemotherapy tied to my bed with a sketch book and mechanical pencil. Every drawing allowed me to cope with a wide range of emotions, from rage to understanding. My journey continued with surgery to remove the cancer; it ended with the loss of my left vocal cord and a damaged diaphragm. The experience taught me that life might lead down a path of hardships but it provides valuable inspirations for my artwork.
College started to open my mind to a variety of modern artists, most notably with the help of Michael Salmond's research and lecture class on critical topics in art. Artists like Mel Chin provide great inspiration in new media and conceptual artwork. His piece "KNOWMAD," inspired me to begin experimenting with game art. I started doing research on ROM hacking for Nintendo games for my senior project and I continued to research various game development tools for creating artwork. After working with Unreal engine and Quake engine; I moved towards Source engine to experiment with audio in my latest piece. Researching various games and development tools has given me the opportunity to connect with a group of artists from multiple countries across the globe.
My disabilities are reflected in my artwork in the digitally created and manipulated audio. The audio for my pieces are from text to speech glitches that create faux sound effects using combinations of letters or visualizing objects in the audio wave. My first experience with handling an exhibit was HIVE (How I View Everything), a video art festival. I worked with designing promotions, marketing, and jurying the show,and this role propelled me to event coordinator for This is Not a Computer: Time Arts Senior Show 2009. As event coordinator my role was to set milestones for the show, assist in every aspect and organize the show for the day of the opening. Running the exhibit was the most exhilarating experience and invaluable opportunity to demonstrate leadership. I also had work in the show, exhibiting my first game art piece and an animation inspired from military training manuals.
My goal is to inspire and educate undergraduates to rely on their creativity and continue their understanding of the evolving technology after college. The location for University of Illinois allows me to coordinate new media exhibits and give undergraduates the opportunity to exhibit their work in three metropolises; Chicago, Saint Lious, and Indianapolis. The university has access to faculty, the Krannert Art Museum, assistantships and graduate studios; providing me with the inspiration and freedom to explore game art, sculpture, installations and other mediums. My self motivation and guidance from faculty will help strengthen my response as an artist in the coming world and provide me with many opportunities.