ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Art is expression with a twist. We can express ourselves with turns of phrase, but sometimes there are things we want to say for which there are no words. Sometimes it's a call for attention, saying "Hey, look over here! I have something to say about this!" Sometimes it's just an emotion we couldn't describe, so we had to get it out on paper. And sometimes it's just us trying to simplify our lives and all that goes on within them.

Creation is a human craving. If we are not productive, we lose ourselves. Sentient creatures that we are, we have a sense of what is bigger than us, and what is smaller. There is a hierarchy, an order to things, that we can sense. We have either been blessed or cursed with the ability to see past ourselves, and to analyze what is happening around us. Whether or not you choose to use that ability is always up to you. However, I find that it is a passion we have hidden within us, one that will manifest eventually, perhaps in different ways.

Artistically speaking, I create what I need to create. I take what I learn, what I know, and what I feel and let it flow from my mind, my heart, and my soul into whatever media I choose to use. That artwork is for me. I will gladly share it with others, but it is something I created because the urge became far too strong to resist. Assignments and jobs are things I consider lessons to further my skills in my passionate art. They are tools I use to realize what it is I want to be doing.

My favorite media are the ones I can easily manipulate. Cut paper, pens, alcohol-based markers… I am fond of them all. But the computer is also one of my greatest tools. I am currently pursuing a future in graphic design, so I find it to be a necessary machine. However, I do not define myself by what types of art I create or what media I use. I define myself by one thing and one thing only- my philosophy.

A man I hold in high esteem despite his passing- a man by the name of Steve Jobs- gave a commencement speech at Stanford in 2005 in which he quoted the final issue of the Whole Earth Catalog. The simple phrase exemplifies my philosophy in art and life.

"Stay hungry, stay foolish."

Stay hungry... always crave the next dose of satisfaction, of satiation. Always be looking for the next thing you can do that can make you happy. For me, that is creation, and finding something within myself that I can translate outside of myself. If I can work up enough drive to take ethereal, formless passion and give it shape, weight and depth- to give it form- then I have done more than enough to make myself happy.

Stay foolish. Allow yourself to think of things you would never have tried before. Discard any and all preconceptions about what you're about to do and just DO it. People do crazy things when they don't know any better. They make big decisions without hesitation. Everyone's time on Earth is ticking away- what do they have stopping them from going for it? And since you have nothing to lose, whether or not you make the "wrong" decision is irrelevant. As long as you believe that the dots will connect themselves in the end, the only direction you can move is forward. The only way to advance is to make decisions... and the easiest way to make those big decisions is to leave your inhibitions behind you... and be foolish.