The song "This is America" by Childish Gambino is a special song to me, and the message it holds has been impactful for many others as well. The main message of the song is that there are many negative side to America, gun violence and racism being the main ones he focuses on. Childish Gambino demonstrates his opinions about racism and gun violence through the constant use of guns, and the inclusion of mainly Black victims in his music video. Racist events such as school and church shootings as well as past experiences inspired Gambino to write this song, and raise awareness among Americans about gun violence and racism. This song is able to portray the normalization of injustice and criminals America experiences, and uses repetition and kids to dramatize the effects of racism in today's society. In addition, the lack of care and action from society shows Americas mop mentality, and their acceptance of such evil yet constant events. By calling out this normalization through the story he tells, he makes people aware of the problem, and incentivizes a sense of reflection of the current state of our equality. Even though I have been educated often on this problem, hearing much songs gives all listeners a realistic reminder of the problems of our nation, and brings us one step closer to targeting it.

Planet earth radiates variety. Planet earth radiates beauty. And most of all, planet earth radiates authenticity. Every flower out there is made with accuracy, and every animal in the jungle is different from the next. It's impressive when you think about it, that every little piece of flora and fauna is one of a kind, and everything has a specific purpose. Whenever I go for a hike, I find myself standing still, breathing in the fresh air, and appreciating the nature around me. When you really look closely, there is a whole other world out there, filled with exotic species, insects, vibrant flowers, and overwhelmingly big trees. Nature gives me a break from the busy, human-filled life that I have created for myself, and it allows me to breathe for a second. Nature is what inspires me to paint, what makes me excited to brush every flower on my new painting, or what makes it hard for me to leave for my volleyball practice because I can't put my paint brush away. Without our mother nature, we would have no home to live in, no city to work in, and no food to eat. For these reasons, I value nature greatly, and by painting it in many different forms, I pay my respects to it. I had always been attracted to painting exoctic animals that you can only see in the safari, but over the years, i have learned to appreciate the smaller things in nature as well; the grass is just as valuable as a plumeria, the rabbit is just as beautiful as the lion, and the clouds just as special as a sunset. It's the daily things in nature that are the most simple, and that bring the most peace to my heart.

My family has been very supportive of my love of performing arts. In high school, I told my parents I wanted to be an actress, and my mom never doubted my dreams for a second. I am grateful for the support I have gotten, and my parents' flexibility with my future goals. This being said, my family still knows how brutal the movie industry is, and they have warned me about not spending my entire life trying to pursue a career that I have already given a good chance. Art has always been a huge part of my life. When I was young, I went to a Waldorf school in the Netherlands, which was a very hands-on program that included theater, sewing, painting, dancing, singing, gardening, wood shop, etc. This is where I believe I got my base for my creativity and love for the art, in all shapes. In high school I decided to sell my realistic oil paintings, and I created an online business where I created customized paintings. Not only have I enjoyed making my paintings, I have also taught me important life lessons; trusting the process has especially. When I first start my paintings, they usually don't look remotely close to the thing I am trying to paint. However, with perseverance, patience and trust, I always reach my end goal, and I have learned to enjoy the ride, not the destination. Acting, one of my other artistic passions, has changed my life in a very different way. Someone once said to me, “acting is just the reenactment of ingenuine emotions,” but I would disagree. Acting is using your imagination to re-enact authenticity and genuineness. Acting is creating real people, real relationships, real lives. Acting is using visualization to build a new personality; it’s when I get to live a completely strange and unknown life for just a second. And that is what I love about it. When I get a new role, I like to do extensive character analysis, make up a significant and personal backstory, do character journaling, and relate certain objects to my character’s childhood memories. I think about my style, my job, maybe my latest obsession, and I make sure to think about my weaknesses which my character hides from. By inventing someone new, I feel like I am showing the audience yet another unique person on this earth with their own story, and making this person come to life. When I embrace this character, I also allow myself to be more empathetic towards them - understanding their actions even though I might not always agree with them. Over time, I build a connection with my character and find it increasingly interesting to explore new areas of their life by slowly putting together more puzzle pieces. And by doing this I have clarified my own identity, as I have played with so many identities and personalities, and I have embraced my own uniqueness. Furthermore, the feeling of being on stage gives me an empowering feeling, one that makes me slow down for a second and makes me aware of my surroundings. When I am in a scene with another actor, I am forced to really listen, and let my body react as naturally as it can while focusing on my objectives in the particular scene. Especially in screen acting the camera picks every detail up, and I don't have to exaggerate my feelings, instead, I can be present in the moment. I don't have to pretend, I can just use my character's instinctive reactions, and thereby new and inspiring stories will follow.