Semester Reflections

Semester 4

It’s been an amazing final semester and I’m happy to have curated it all through the ePortfolio. I’ve really challenged myself to reflect on artistic experiences, rather than just consume them passively. I’ve examined how these activities and media connect to my coursework and real-world issues we face. The Arts TryAthlons allowed me to pull these ideas together, specifically the many films and shows I watched both for entertainment and for the sake of sparking discussion.

Arts Scholars has been a great opportunity to explore forms of art I was unfamiliar with. For me, that would be music and dance. For a medium so abstract, experiencing vogue dancing and the orchestra recital at the Clarice has helped to demystify the medium. I’ve learned that all art forms draw from universal emotions, just expressed in different ways. To understand an art form, you don’t just need to turn outwards, but inwards. What thoughts and feelings does this performance evoke within you? How effectively is that achieved? These are questions I can ask myself for nearly every art form I encounter from now on. 

For my capstone project, I knew it would be more long-term, but I didn’t expect the project to be taken so seriously. It was certainly fun, but I liked how we gave it the proper thought and attention it deserved. Art is work that solves problems and leads to tangible results, so it deserves to reach its fullest potential.

The capstone was an appropriate culmination of everything we’ve done so far. We tried and experienced many different art forms to brainstorm possible ideas, like our Tryathlons and field trips. Once we settled on our projects, we participated in small discussions to gather feedback, similar to the discussions in our colloquiums. Finally, we displayed the works at ArtsFest, just like how we occasionally present as a group at the end of colloquium.

My artistic talents going into Arts Scholars included mostly drawing and painting with a bit of digital art. I’ve certainly expanded on those skills through my classes, but Arts Scholars let me try out new disciplines I wouldn’t have otherwise considered. Related to drawing, I learned animation and visual novels through my two workshops. Most of all, I learned a lot about creative writing through my Capstone project. I’m part of a filmmaking group on campus, and I feel like I’ve gained a more holistic understanding of the visual, audio, and written aspects that go into media like that. I’ve learned that once you master a few artistic skills, you can easily pick up more and should strive to learn as many as you can.

I’m extremely grateful for my peers who have inspired me and brought out the best in me. When thinking about diverse perspectives, what immediately comes to mind is my lack of experience with creative writing prior to my capstone. I knew a few people in my capstone class who were more experienced, and I asked them for advice. I even consulted with other peers doing written work for their capstone. In return, I offered them feedback on their own projects.

I know I will look back on my time here and be glad that I exposed myself to so many memorable people, places, and ideas. If Arts Scholars has taught me anything, it’s to have a strong work ethic whenever you are being creative. It is challenging to generate something out of nothing but there are strategies one can use to feel refreshed and inspired. I used to really despise the conceptual/planning phase of any creative project, but now I’ve learned skills to make it through so that I can spend more time enjoying the process. The Capstone is one of the most large-scale, intensive projects I’ve completed in my life, and now that I have, I want to, first, go back and improve it, and, second, take on more ambitious projects in the future. I will expand the scope of my abilities, continue to try new disciplines, and never neglect the valuable feedback of others. I’m a Studio Art major, and my artistic journey is just beginning, and I want to thank Arts Scholars for being an essential part of it!