Blog 1 - Artist Statement

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“I saw my life flash before my eyes”

 That’s how the saying goes right? Whenever people recall their near-death experience? 

Well that’s not exactly how it went down for me. As 9-year-old me stared down the car barreling down the street, my mind was blank.  

As I grow older I find myself recalling that incident my often than I'd like to admit. I like to think that’s because I’ve learned to appreciate the life I have now.  

Appreciate the roof over my head, appreciate the warm meals given to me, most importantly 

Appreciate my loved ones.

But in all honesty? 

I think the real reason I keep retouching upon the incident is that I realized how little I’ve done; how little I’ve contributed to the world. There is nothing I’ve done that I can earnestly say I'm truly proud of. Maybe that’s why my mind went blank as I stood frozen facing incoming traffic. There can’t be this ‘flash of life’s moments” when there is nothing notable to be “flashed”, albeit I was only nine. 

This incident, lingering in the back of my mind, constantly reminds me of my own mortality and especially my place in the world. It pushes me (as cheesy as it sounds) to become someone who can change or at least leave a mark for the betterment of the world.  

My first step towards achieving this goal would be enrolling in MEDP 160 at Hunter College. I hope that by taking the MEDP 160 course, I will be able to further develop my artistic skills. I plan to employ the various multimedia techniques I will learn in the course and incorporate it into or use it as a medium for my art projects. My upcoming art projects will be centered on the subject of the modern world's encroachment on nature. The purpose of my artwork is to raise awareness of the rapid loss of various ecosystems, as well as inspire our youth to value the natural world. My future projects will be community based and will focus on social issues such as poverty, racial inequality, as well as, gentrification.  

A few quotes that continues to inspire and motivate me every day: 

"Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good... Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place."
  - Pope Francis 

"I'm fighting hard to make the world a better place, and you can, too. Get involved with your community, be a leader, set an example, be passionate, be your best."
- Gabrielle Giffords

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