Art has always been as natural as breathing; when elementary school art time ceased to be stimulating enough, I sought out community art classes. My drive to create began as instinct, and as I grew older and struggled with my mental health I turned to art as a form of escapism. As I have moved closer to overcoming my depression and existential ideation, I began to reject the idea of escapism and now seek to shape this world into one in which I enjoy living. Many of the themes I emulate in my work are influenced by literature, music, or interactive media such as roleplaying games. I am most fascinated by fantasy and science fiction genres, and most of the artists and writers whom I admire have focused on queer, feminist, and post-colonial themes. I am pursuing a Master's Degree in Fine Arts because I want to be an art professor as well as a working artist. I have always been a hands-on and creative soul, and I strive to be a lifelong learner and to teach others in return. Due to my previously poor mental health, I did not have much of a plan for my future near the end of high school. It was my admiration for my favorite teacher, Mr. Basenberg, that inspired me to still apply for college and pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Art. Mr. Basenberg taught Art 1 and Art History classes at my high school and I thought he was the coolest, most down-to-earth teacher while still being incredibly insightful. I suppose that I wanted to be like him, and though I have most definitely become my own unique person, I still hold his memory in high regard. My educational journey after high school has enabled me to grow and thrive. If I can have a positive impact on the lives of future fine arts students, to me that would be as fulfilling as exhibiting my art internationally. That said, I still strive to make artwork that is personal, provocative, and impactful. I firmly believe that our art defines our society and thus art has the power to change the world. Therefore, I can be both an inspiring teacher and a recognized artist. Ultimately, I don't care if my name survives the tests of time; what matters is if I left some good in the world. While my career emphasis is on the visual arts, I have an overlapping interest in performing arts as well. In addition to community art classes, I was involved in both school and community theatre productions. I also have some experience in choir groups.

If I had one thousand dollars right now, I would use between two hundred and five hundred of it in order to purchase an Ender 5 3D printer for my art studio. The remaining amount would be used towards my tuition payment for graduate school. When I was still an undergraduate art student, I frequently utilized the 3D printers at my campus library for art projects. I am very interested in combining art and technology to create installation artworks. Since my art projects were for academic purposes, I was able to use the campus 3D printers at no cost. However, now that I am a graduate student, I know I will need to invest in my own equipment soon. I have enrolled into a private university to pursue my Master of Fine Arts degree. Even though every source of funding helps, one thousand is not a particularly large amount to tuition alone. That is why I would use this money to purchase otherwise costly equipment first. By purchasing my own 3D printer, I will also have it at my disposal for the coming years after I have graduated with my Master of Fine Arts degree. Therefore, this scholarship would be a significant contribution to the advancement of my art practice as well as my education.

One piece of advice that I utilize is going outside in the mornings for ten or twenty minutes. The natural blue light from the sun is most effective in the morning hours and helps to energize the body and absorb more Vitamin D. This is also a good opportunity to get some exercise in as well. For example, I like to take a morning walk for about 30 minutes after I've had my coffee. My psychiatrist insists that the benefits of this piece of advice are most noticeable when it becomes a daily routine. When I maintain this as a habit, I have a lot more energy throughout the days and I feel more confident about my productivity.

My art is deeply personal and shows my struggles as well as my ways of overcoming them. Whether the issues regard my mental health or systems of oppression, I offer the viewer to consider ways in which we can alter reality. I do this by blending the real world with the fantastical. I often make reference to historical artworks, especially those surrounding mythos and religion. I also combine traditional and digital media and work both in the 2-Dimensional and the 3-Dimensional. Through an exploration of the merging of fantasy and reality, I encourage my audience to create the change they wish to see in our mundane world. With my art, I am indirectly helping my community by opening conversations around stigmatized topics. My goal is for my practice to become a catalyst for change in the lives of others. In addition to creating works of art that are personal to me and my journey, I seek to become an educator in the arts. It is not just about me and my art; my desire is to enable future artists to incite positive change for generations ahead. My success is meaningless to me if the people around me are being left behind. Due to my limited resources, I feel that I struggle to make a more direct impact in my community. However, I am passionate about plans to involve others in collaborative projects so that we can uplift each other. My goal with this is to support diversity and inclusion in contemporary arts. When I am able, I make time to volunteer with or donate to causes that are important to me and sometimes referenced in my art. Some of the issues I am driven towards include the LGBTQ community, the Latinx community, reproductive rights, mental health awareness, and environmental conservation. The art piece I have submitted is a self portrait. It is a digital illustration that conveys turbulent emotions beneath a melancholy surface. In this portrait I have made myself a shadowy figure beneath an ocean. The dull glow of my eyes betrays the pain and despair I have lived through battling depression. Yet, it also represents a light inside that cannot be extinguished and is waiting for the time to shine. With this piece, I want others struggling with their mental health to know that they are not alone and that they do not have to hide their struggles.

I believe that the meaning of life can only be achieved by experiencing the world firsthand, and that it varies slightly depending on the individual. A person has to go out into the world and participate in sensory experiences in order to assign their own meaning of life. These sensory experiences could take a variety of forms and methods. One person might take a culinary approach such as indulging in global cuisine, and another person might aspire to live amongst nature by backpacking across rural regions. The key factor is individual autonomy, as whatever path a person takes must fit their needs and ideals in addition to being one of their own choosing. For me, the meaning of life is discovering empathy. By discovering and embracing empathy, a person becomes free; free to love unconditionally, free to understand multiple perspectives, free to fully attune to their emotions and senses, and free to allow for moments of vulnerability. I work to achieve empathy through art, whether I am viewing historical art, connecting with contemporary artists, or making my own art. I believe that just like in life, art has a meaning that we must discover individually. In that sense, I also would insist that art does not imitate life, as the saying suggests. Instead, I would propose this: Art is life, and life is art.