Endings & Beginnings 2023
In the next two weeks, I'll have a Bachelor's of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design. My time there is coming to an end. Going to SCAD was a dream I've had since I first heard about it back in middle school. My cousin told me of this school that taught every kind of art and how the school challenged you as an artist. While I took many twists and turns before getting there, I finally made it to SCAD in 2020. So much of my life is different from back when I first dreamed of going to SCAD, but my love for art has never faded. I appreciate art more as I learn new techniques, discover new and old artists, and change styles within my own work. SCAD encourages you to embody all this and challenged me every quarter.
As this period of my life as an undergrad comes to an end, I'm realizing how much of it I'll cherish. Yet at the same time, there are some parts I will leave behind and grow from. I met so many inspiring mentors at SCAD, as both professors and peers. I connected with many that I hope will last a lifetime and will continue to reach out to as we emerge into the art world. I learned to embrace even the boring art books because these might help you come to the art solution you needed. I saw both amazing and questionable work as we all tried new techinques and styles. I confronted ideas with my work that I didn't think I could before. Most of all, it made me realize that I was always an artist, I am an artist, right now and forever.
As overwhelmed I am with the approach of graduation, I cannot express my excitement for the new beginnings afterword. Yes, it's daunting to look towards selling my work, applying for residencies, etc., but I've put so many things on hold while studying. Now is the time to finally put my work out there, to reconnect with my loved ones, and have new experiences. I can paint whatever I'd like, experiment with more styles, explore my current style. I can continue studying the artists before me and around me. There's many more pages to fill and many more liminal spaces to go through in this life.
So keep following along because there is no end to this mess!
