The arts and storytelling are immeasurably important not only because of the hedonic value that we gain from them, but also because they contain so much meaning about what being human is. We learn things from art and storytelling that we may have never had the chance to experience before, they increase our empathy and sensitivity for other people, and our imaginations. I think this expansion is crucial in envisioning and moving towards our collective human futures. Art and storytelling are powerful forms of communication, and the content of each has the ability to change culture, perspective, power structures, and more. In order not to fill up this entire email with this question, the point is that humanity benefits from intentional creation, open discourse, empathetic listening, and celebration (and critique) of the arts.
I love learning from the people I encounter and to glean insight from every job description, skill, experience, musing, and perspective. With The Creative Process, I appreciate the opportunity to interview people, be interviewed, and have discussions about anything and everything.
Right now, I'm working as a student on my senior thesis for my Creative Technologies degree. I'm creating a hand-drawn animation in Photoshop, which has been a test of my patience and self-awareness for sure. I'm also completing some design work for my cousin, who is a wedding photographer in Hawaii. I'll be moving to Hawaii after graduation to work more closely under her to help with design, photography, styling, and marketing.
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Growing up in Virginia is really special because we really have a little of everything - we have mountains, beach, rivers, lakes, every season. I grew up taking advantage of pretty much every recreational activity there is: hiking, kayaking, tubing, beach sports, snowboarding and skiing, the list goes on. It's easy to take for granted all of the things that we enjoy if we forget how delicate the balance is. Even more importantly than what's important to me, animals suffer the most from climate crises. The east coast of the US isn't the most diverse space, but every time I hear that another species goes extinct anywhere in the world I feel a pang of sadness, and I'm not even a huge zoology person.
My own commitment to sustainability includes buying pretty much all of my clothes secondhand if I can help it, recycling, bamboo toothbrushes, zero-waste razors, a reusable water bottle, clear detergents, and reusable shopping bags. It's not much, but as a college student, it's the most I can do since some more eco-friendly alternatives to common objects are scarce or expensive. As soon as I get my first stable income, I plan on investing more in eco-friendly products, or I would love to move closer to a co-op to cut down on food and packaging waste.
