Applying to college was a difficult challenge for me as the impending question of “what are you going to school for?” was haunting me. Within my close circle and even in society, there’s a huge encouragement to pursue a STEM related program. I knew my skillset didn’t fall under that. The best second choice was going into humanities or social sciences, as that’s a topic I am very interested in, in relation to social justice for marginalized communities. But my passion aligns with visual arts, as I do consider myself as a creative. Unfortunately, going to an art school wasn’t as feasible. When applying for University of Washington Bothell, I knew I had to be strategic about my education. I think it’s important for your education to not feel forced. I wanted a program that would cater to me as a person and the vast array of interests I have. Interdisciplinary Arts (I.A.), as a major, truly encompasses how I feel as a person. I believe my skillsets are more on the creative side, but I still have the urge to create work that was productive and effective. Going into I.A., it has showed me how many disciplines intersect with art and how this knowledge can be utilized in many areas. Being multifaceted is an advantage. It provided me the tools and resources to make many connections and produce new work of my own rather than following a structured model dedicated to one subject.

            I had the opportunity to do coursework that focused on art engaging in contemporary issues. For my I.A. major I’ve taken: Street & Club Style Workshop, Visual Art in the Modern Era, Women in Art, Performance Research, Race & Gender on Film, Southeast Asian Hip Hop, The Chronicles of Ye: Kanye West and the Hero’s Journey, and Bigger Than Hip Hop: Music, Media and Politics. I was dedicated to expanding my knowledge in many areas from hip hop to art history. One class that set me up to think critically, as an I.A.S. goal, is Race & Gender on Film.  This course intersected the art of film with diversity studies. It taught me a valuable lesson of learning how to see peoples’ social position and how it translates into media. Representation matters. It provides the masses an idea of how a community or one’s identity is being perceived negatively or positively on film or even in digital media. In a final essay I wrote a film review on Moonlight, a film centering on black men’s sexuality and how it was a progressive movie for being authentically black and gay. By analyzing characters’ roles, stereotypes, and image it has allowed me to be sensitive towards others in the real world and to not hold such an ignorant mindset. We touched on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, inclusivity, and intersectionality to either deconstruct it or to find solutions to it. These types of discourse are valuable to navigate the world. This skillset will help me outside of school as it shows I am equipped to talk about crucial subjects such as race and gender that affects everyone’s lives. This class provided me knowledge to always consider perception. One should critically dissect the way representation is controlled and how we can improve it in today’s society.

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            In relation to my minor in Visual & Media Arts I’ve taken: Interdisciplinary Arts, Video Art, “Site, Space, and Video”, ALIVE Festival Planning, and Photography. I felt it was important for me to include art workshop classes to show I can create work under interdisciplinary research & inquiry. I took a Site, Space, and Video course about making video art installations on a smaller scale. I was researching artists such as Bill Viola, Gary Hill, Barbara Kruger, and many more to see how they have conceptualized and execute these exhibits. We were building upon methods and processes of these artists, very much like how one would expand on a scholar’s thesis. Researching is important as it gave me the resources to execute my project. This course was unique because it was a different type of discipline I have never learned about before. I was able to discover how as a creator I can provide different layers of experience to provoke discussion and deeper thought. This form of learning was about feeling and seeing rather than depositing information in a lecture setting. As a creative, I was able to produce an art installation personal to me to inform others. I was set on showing vulnerability and internal conflict in an open space. I had three separate sections divided by stand in walls. Each section had a one channel projection of a video edited by me showing the pessimism and optimism that go on in daily life. I wanted to intersect mental health with art. Within the space, there was a mirror in the middle of the projection for viewers to reflect on themselves and what they’re seeing. What I learned through this course was how to be a productive worker/learner in relation to responsibility, intention, and creativity. There is a lot that goes into art production as it will teach you how to be an effective worker in a timely manner. This skillset can translate well outside as it shows I’m able to take on hectic roles. Art installation is about visual communication and I had the opportunity to communicate in a new creative way.

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            In relation to my Creative Writing Minor I took: “Activist Poetics, Poetry, and Theory”, Prose to Poetry, Radical Politics: Contemporary Experiments in Writing, and Writing Potential: Play and Process. I’ve found writing has been a great skill to improve on for communication purposes inside and outside of school. I’ve been exposed to writing scholarly essays but felt I needed to expand on different forms. One course that has taught me to a lot about the writing process and as a general learner is Radical Politics: Contemporary Experiment in Writing. My professor gave us the freedom to write in any form but was adamant about intention and improvement. As a writer, one must be aware of how they write in order to communicate effectively. For this class I composed a poem portfolio that was heavily revised and worked on which I am proud of because of the journey it took to get there. My professor would divide us into groups to workshop our poetry and gave us appropriate way to critique others. I felt that this was a valuable lesson, as it shows that I am able to critically engage with other people’s work in a professional way and not so carelessly. Even though this course was built upon improving students creative writing it also showed me how to be organized, concise, and impactful in every work I do if that’s on paper or speaking.

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            Moving forward, I am confident in the work I’ve done under I.A. It has provided me the tools and skills to be a productive worker and learner. I’ve attained knowledge in so many fields from Gender Studies, American Ethnic Studies, Creative Writing, Visual Communication, Media & Communication, Politics, and Art to represent my passion for diversity in art. As a student under The School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (I.A.S), it has taught me to not only nurture my artistic abilities but to gain skills that are applicable to the professional world and as a life-long learner.