David's statement

Art has been a special form of entertainment for me. TV, internet, and other media just aren't enough, sometimes. At the same time, there's a challenge to it, with a certain satisfaction. In general, I just have a thing for creating. Often, when nothing's going on, I may find myself poking around with some kind of media creation. I've worked with drawing, painting, animating, videotaping, and even sound recording. This basically sums up what I want to do: build up talent with all kinds of art, so that many jobs will be open to me. This will especially be helpful, since some art jobs are short, and the different experiences will add all the more variety to my life.

Michael's Statement

If I were to describe my artistic identity in a single word, I would say I am a cartoonist. Of course, this word tends to invoke assumptions of childishness and low intelligence, which I hope not to convey by it. I use the term to mean that I am more about style and charm than realism, though I may carry realism as far as it will enhance my work. I’ve been drawing as early as childhood, and it is the biggest foundation for the art I create, although I have branched into other areas, such as writing and video making. I’ve attempted to build myself up as a storyteller, drawing original characters. While I may enjoy elements of a relatable, real world experience in a story, the fantastical, namely science fiction and fantasy, takes a large part of my interest. Nostalgia tends to find its way into my work regularly, inspired by cartoons, comics, and movies I loved in my childhood. A sense of imagination, wonder and excitement, akin to youth, is what I hope to communicate with my work.

Tim's Statement

For me, any art I produce doesn't normally have a hidden meaning or purpose, I just like to make things that are visually interesting and that are fun to explore and look at. Any meanings and feelings that people attach to the work is just a bonus because that adds meaning and a value to it that couldn't be there without the viewer and the viewer's experiences.

David's Statement

My goal as an artist is to simply take every dream that I have and create things that positively impact society.  I want to inspire people to believe in themselves and to think for themselves. Any form of creativity requires a leap of faith so I think that its only fitting to project optimism and hope in anything that I do.

Lina's Statement

I produce art as a way to express my understanding of the experiences that occur in my life. I find myself as an artist drawn to pieces that evoke a strong emotional reaction and leave me thinking about life.  I’m fascinated with the simplicity of life and the interactions we have with each other as people. My work focuses on the observations I’ve made as I go about my daily life.

Jacci's Statement

I make art because I have to. It's the only way I can express myself from the experiences I've been through. I have always been creative, even when I tried to do engineering the creative side came back and I had to switch to art. 

Miguel's Statement

To me art is a way to show thoughts and emotions that you can’t put into words. I like photography and video because they are ways to capture the world around you before that moment disappears so that you can share that moment with other people. It is a way to open your mind to the world around you and increase your creativity and use those skills for all other aspects of your life. Art is all around us even in the places where you wouldn’t expect, from what we wear, to athletics, the novels that we read even buildings and city structures all use different forms of art. It is one of the main things that makes us human.

Tyler's Statement

    Art can be defined in many different ways; the very definition of the word "art" is oftentimes the subject of debate, as the term remains largely open to individual interpretation. However, it is fairly interesting to consider that although most people are exposed to art each and every day of their lives, art is rarely consumed for the purposes of serving any form of utilitarian function. It is important that one challenges his/her self by engaging with new and interesting works of art on a regular basis. Many often do so and experience intellectual, creative, and emotional stimulation and reinvigoration in the process. However, people oftentimes choose to engage with art mostly for the sole purpose of seeking out entertainment and a personal sense of enjoyment.

    ​Throughout my life, I have always been extremely passionate about fictional storytelling and narratives across a wide variety of mediums. Every day I gain inspiration from the stories and works of fiction that I find compelling. I have always loved how narrative works possess the ability to bring different people together, allowing them to share conversations and ideas that are prompted by their feelings towards their favorite movies, books, music, games, and other forms of media. As an artist, I desire to one day create narratives that critically engage with a wide variety of people. I hope to inspire others in the very same way that I have been inspired by my favorite works of fiction in the past. My goal is to provide audiences with fiction that they will enjoy on an emotional and/or intellectual level, that open their minds to new values and ideas, and that provide them with a sense of escapism and entertainment. I firmly believe that many people, some of whom may not even consider themselves to be artists, undeniably have a strong, intrinsic desire to craft narrative experiences for others, and I would consider myself a very empty and disheartened person were I not to strive to create those types of experiences.

Mia's Statement

      I like to think that my art is a chance to express myself and is a great way to convey my ideas. Art, for me, is a way to channel my thoughts and feelings that I cannot express with words. I will always enjoy making art. It is a great stress reliever and a rewarding field, and I will hopefully continue to make art in my future.

Phil's statement

I create art in order to invoke an emotion. I feel like an art piece isn't complete unless it feel something when you come into contact with it because it's that emotional connection that makes the art work special. Hopefully the emotional connection that is created when people see my art inspires them to want to create as well.

Lauren's statement

Working with a wide range of media and exploring their possibilities allows for great forms of communication. Through art my ability to communicate is realized.  My subject matter as well as my process explore dichotomies; between art and humor, the polished and the crass, the physical and emotional and between the objective and passionate.

Specifically, with photography, it’s the use and source of light that I am interested in playing with.  Whether it is masking light while making prints or the use of alternative light sources such as projectors or computer screens, this allows for opposition within the process itself.  In video, I am interested in the examination of movement and the emotion that can be found between rigidity and freedom.

I also like the idea of creating art from art, taking something noted and beautiful and inverting it; or, conversely, taking something infamous and ugly and augmenting it.  I do this by appropriating images found on the Internet.  The accessibility of the past, present, and future via the Internet and the fact that it is fairly lawless is disconcerting as well as empowering and fun.

Kylie's statement

For me, my art is all about capturing what already exists. I try to capture emotions, memories, and ideas in images. I think that video is a beautiful art form, and to me, it has the most power out of any art form to capture the things that aren't typically seen or visualized. Keep it simple. I make what I want to make and I make what makes me happy. At the end of the day, video is really just what I love do to. Every project is my baby, something I've created, and something I want to be proud of.

Katherine's statement

Art, to me, is a lifestyle.  Without art, I believe I wouldn't have a purpose in this world.  It keeps me sane and allows me to express myself in ways that may live on for years after I die.  Art has a sole that is superior to all others and because of that, it calls to me.  Though art can be frustrating, the feeling I acquire when I accomplish a difficult task or discover something knew is leaps and bounds over the threshold of 'worth-it.'  Art, however corny it sounds, is my one and only vice and gets me in ways I didn't believe were possible.

Grant's statement

I view art as a way to express how one feels at a certain moment in time.  Anyone can interpret art in any sense they choose, however it is the creator who hold the key to the true meaning of the work.  My art comes from deep inside me and a way to express how I feel when no one else is around.  The literal translation of my work is seldomly the true meaning of my focus, however its the implied meaning I am trying to capture.

Pete's statement

I make things because I am addicted to novelty, I am obsessed with the potential for my brain to surprise itself. Art for me exists in the different manifestations of the expressions of novel approaches to making things. Art for me is in the interval between the idea and its final form. It is in the significant and timely ways people realize how to pull out of material our connection to the world. Douglas Hofstadter stated in his book Godel Escher Bach, "because the needle of the record player is a mechanism that can convert groove patterns into sound there is an isomorphism between groove patterns and sounds, the needle is the mechanism that physically realizes that isomorphism." Record players pull music out of grooves. An artist should act like the needle, only they have to arrange the grooves first.

Ashley's statement

I am artist because there is so much I need to, want to, and try to express that I better have some type of medium show it or I will go mad. Art to me is something that can take all of your emotions and amplify them times a hundred. I don’t try to make something that everyone enjoys or understand I do it solely for my own well-being. If it does touch someone fantastic, if not oh well. That’s the beauty of art. You don’t always have to understand it or enjoy it, you just have to be open enough to want to experience it. 

Cyrus' statement

As an artist I aspire to change the world. Art has a direct relationship with the mind and heart. Art can make you feel things you don't want to feel, or make you look at life from an angle that was hidden before. I am an artist because I have cultivated an ability to harness and appreciate this incredible power. Without art, life would be meaningless. Without art, humans would have no mechanism to understand one another and themselves. Good art must be disordered. I am an artist because creating art is exceptionally difficult. I am an artist because creating art is physically exhausting and emotionally painful. The only time I feel content with myself is after some form of expression. I do not understand how others dispose of toxic emotions without expression. I do not understand how one retains their insanity without expression. The only catharsis stronger than consuming art is providing catharsis for someone who consumes your art.

David's statement

Being an artist allows me to explore not only the world, but also life itself. I challenge myself to an adventure full of risks, making myself vulnerable to what I might experience. In my current work I find myself using the video medium to capture moments of the ephemeral – something lasting only for a moment. Whether it is a balloon moving on the surface of an air vent or the evaporation of condensation, I direct the attention of the viewer to meditate on these actions, having them become absorbed in the imagery of what can be overlooked in the everyday life.

Marcus' statement

In my youth, my days would begin rather slowly.  I would usually roll out of bed late in the morning and stumble about five feet over to my computer.  Years later I still exercise this same ritual, but instead of hopping on the computer for recreational activity, I create artwork.  This shift from recreation to artwork has not been complicated.  Being a technology based artist, many of my creations are dependent on the use of a computer.  This dependency, however, comes with a great weakness.  This weakness is procrastination, and I am often tempted to take breaks while in the middle of my work and wander around various websites to ease my mind.  This turns into countless hours of wasted time that could have been better used.

I have given this issue some serious thought and have come to the conclusion that the procrastination itself might be due to the lack of interest in my own work.  This is not to say my works are uninteresting, but the loss of interest might come from my usual habit of over complicating simple situations.  I strive to make only the best of work when it comes to art, and I always have my guard up.  Mistakes are intolerable to me, and I am afraid to make mistakes while in the process of making art.  This fear hinders my ability to work with a particular medium in an effective way, and gives me an unbearable amount of tension while working. 

Experimentation, risk taking, and unknown results are things I grapple with in life as well as art.  I tend to be too comfortable with the way situations are going or the way they are turning out, and I do not try to take them to the next level as I should.  My paintings, for example, could be improved with the introduction of gel mediums to increase the effect of transparency which is important to their creation.  I used them in the past and was unable to figure out how to use them effectively.  They discouraged me, and I discontinued using them based on lack of skill, technique, and the fear of making something that looked un-presentable.  I am very proud of the works I have created and surround myself in their completeness.  They not only are a constant reminder of the hard work and determination that gave them life, but also a reminder that I need to let go of my restraints and allow myself to enjoy them even if they are not perfect.  

Nick's statement

Much of what we are told and shown is presented as being fully defined. We are told there is little room in our generation for interpretation and critique. I disagree with this. I think our world is constantly changing and no definition is permanent. Art changes endlessly. Its context changes, its meaning gains or loses affect, and its imagery is perceived differently by each and every person. I am an artist because I want to create these images to motivate people. I create videos fueled by my own motivation- to motivate others. This goal shapes my work with emotion and human reason. And I hope with this emotional material I can invite others to think, judge, wonder, and reason for themselves, in a world where we're so rarely told to do so.

Peter's statement

I never thought of myself as an artist. I used to do terrible in art class; can't draw, can't paint, and can't model clay to save my life. But in my senior year of High School, I took a photography class and instantly fell in love with it. It was a mysterious place I have never visited before and I wanted to reveal all of its secrets. I was hooked. But I think the best part about it was all of the memories captured, both on paper and in my mind. I had one of the best years of my life then, hanging out with all of my friends, goofing off with our cameras and sneaking into events lying that we were in the High School Yearbook class. When I look at a photograph, I see the snow melting on my hands, my best friend's dog knocking me down, driving around at night with nothing to do, her smile piercing my heart… These are all memories I want to hold on to forever because they reminds me of where I've been and where I want to go. Art is about doing what you love, because this life is short and it would be a shame to waste it.

Dylan's statement

For me, art is the exportation of our crazy little minds and the ideas they produce. These ideas are formed and informed by our everyday interactions, experiences, and how we observe the world. Art is what makes us human, because it gives us the ability to defragment a little bit of the chaos- the never-ending supply of information that we take in. My first priority when contemplating a new creation is “Will this be visually interesting to look at?” Art needs to be able to have that immediate “grab factor”, something to ensnare the audience right away, so that a dialogue between, art and viewer, artist and viewer, can be achieved. Once ensnared, the audience needs to be able to identify in some aspect, with the theme of the art; is the piece politically charged? Does it exist simply for the sake of beauty? Or does the work try to address, and comment upon, the relationship of man and nature? Every work, whether large or small, interactive or hands-free, needs to have a message, or at least be open for interpretation. If art for the artist is an outlet, then art for the viewer should be a receptacle with a mirror in the bottom. I try to make that mirror a conversation starter. 

Levi's statement

Our misery provokes a greater happiness. I work with the sense of hopelessness through comic means to pull at the heartstrings of the viewer.

            My work often ends at sheer disappointment after traveling through a series of promising happenings in order to land there. While I rarely start an idea at the point of sheer depression it seems only natural to land in dismay. The failure of my protagonists has led many viewers into a better overall mood and this is where I want to take my audience. I loathe unhappiness like anyone else, and while my work may lead one to believe that I am unhappy I am quite the opposite. I want to see others in a state of bliss. By harnessing someone else's failures I am able to inspire the audience with joy.

            This leads to the other joy factor in my repertoire: absurdity. This ridiculousness is a way to direct my work toward humor. I employ this humor to transform my work into something that is both a commentary and a satire of the everyday. Whether this relationship is reflected by the robotic feline in Cat & Mouse seeking the approval of a high-tech computer and getting ignored or the man in Disappointment working to dig up a buried chest that is empty I strive for a lighter take on the depressing situations that we all face.

            We are a world of people desensitized to true problems like interpersonal relationships. We are unable to maintain interest in the complexities of one other and instead we focus on the next scenario of destruction. I find this to be ludicrous and would like to encourage reconsideration by those who take the time to experience the work in its entirety. I want the work to strengthen relationships through the satire of the innumerable conspiracy theories that flood the media. I want to synthesize the misery of the world into a state of pure bliss and let people once again realize that it is not the end that matters but the journey.

Lauren's statement

As an artist just starting out I have been especially interested in juxtaposing elements.  In my painting, photography, and video art I like to explore the use of color in forming interesting and contrasting compositions.  As far as what I am trying to achieve with my art, ideally I want my viewer to find fascination in the banal or to look at something simple as something new and unfamiliar.  

In my final video art project I was really exploring the way my own point of view in traveling to India could come across, i.e. disorienting.  I also wanted it to portray my artistic style, i.e. my use of bright, fluorescent  color pitted against a more stark palette.

At the most base of levels, I am an artist because I didn't know what else to do.  I have been in college for the past 6 years on and off, searching for the right fit.  I finally realized that what I really need is an outlet that allows me to learn in a less controlled and more subjective way. 

Preston's statement

The biggest difference between present artificial intelligence and the
human brain is that humans forget. Everything we don't manage to
forget, everything we think we know about ourselves, is held together
thanks to a narrative glue. By tapping into this glue and telling
communal stories, people can form communities. But not all stories are
equal and not all 'communities' are good. Many stories abuse this
trait of the human mind and succeed in clouding up the truest
experience of the world (such as the story that money given to the top
1% will trickle down to the rest of the economy or all of
advertising). Given the slightest opportunity, divisive and
corporate-fueled stories will clog up our mental inboxes day in and
day out, forever. It has been the task of the worlds's greatest
writers to speak truth to power and to clear the air so that we can
reassess--at least for a moment--what matters and what should be
filtered out. The great hope is that strong true narratives are
remembered, and that weak ones die out. As I see it then, my job (most
broadly stated) is to humbly craft true stories that encourage the
healthy forgetting and re-imagining of a united world.