In recent years, I have remained committed to the process of documenting my life through pieces of writing and videos after my older brother’s accident that nearly cost him his life. Before this, I was solely enamored with the thought of becoming a fashion designer, but suddenly, the future seemed uncertain due to my grapple with understanding how cruel life can be. Though, continuing to create art and consume it was still my biggest outlet; my artistic expression is what made healing possible. I had moved on from creating tangible art to using my words, whether that was writing news articles for my high school journalism class or dabbling in the creation of my own young adult novels and posting them online; I was speaking out. The skill had unintentionally prepared me for the latter years of my high school experience. As a black student at a predominantly white institution, I was faced daily with microaggressions and other forms of racism. The collective exhaustion that I and many other students felt is what prompted us to speak directly to the administration, which resulted in a movement to increase the education surrounding this race in classes. 

 No matter which way my life went, writing remained a hobby of mine that never seems to drift away, similarly to fashion, as I became obsessed with experimenting with my clothing choices. Self-expression is highly important to me and I kept that in mind as I ventured on to another form of visual art. Within the last three years, I have translated the plethora of emotions and ideas that run through my mind into a few short films. The media class I took this past semester challenged me to build upon my techniques and taught me skills such as the basics of sound design. My goal for the future is to work for a fashion magazine or company, specifically, a space where media is involved because I do enjoy that aspect. I want be around clothes all of the time, styling and showcasing outfits, while also answering analytical questions such as, “How can we let everyone know about this trend?” At St. Olaf College, I plan on majoring in Studio Art and minoring in Management. 

The importance of storytelling is simply to share because not everyone is fortunate enough to do so. Not everyone can write, or speak, or even be here right now, on this planet, to tell their story in their own words. Every story has a lesson within it, no matter how mundane; some individuals somewhere in the world will be able to resonate with it. I believe that storytelling has the power to change lives with its impact, spreading news of solidarity to those who had believed for a very long time that they were alone. To me, creativity is a driving force because its results are beautiful and so is the process leading up to it. I truly believe that anything is possible in a room full of creatives because the ideas thrown out are coming from a place of passion. With The Creative Process, I want the experience crafting with other creatives and the collaborative effort it takes to make something beautiful.