I have found Art to be liberating because it has allowed me both a means of discovery and also has served as a form of expression. Being a first generation college student, I have encountered a lot of responsibilities and mixed feelings about choosing a major and deciding my career in life. After years of struggling with my parent's desires for my future and my own decisions in life, Art was right for me because it allows for exploring a lot of questions.

There is a quote by Antonio Lopez Garcia that represents the thoughts and feelings I have when I try to make artwork, he said,

"I didn't know it at the time, but I had suddenly hit upon the only thing that matters: the ability to express an emotion that you first must feel, which is separate from the skill and the accuracy which allows you to copy the real world."

He reflects upon his drawings and understands that representing subjects correctly simply wasn't enough. Rather than concentrating only on what the form represents, I try to engage the viewer in the process and the ambiguity of my work.

I hope to develop a deeper understanding of Contemporary art today, and to mature artistically. My current work reflects my curiosity about looking not only for answers but questions. Though I am still learning,I hope to use what I've learned at Gustavus Adolphus College and add to it to my future experiences.