Being an artist means participating in a distinctly human tradition. I think of the first cave paintings in Altamira. Expressing symbolic thought is one of the key milestones we use to identify when man became man. It separates us from earth's other creatures, giving us the unique ability to communicate our inner selves. I revere the artists that came before me; their deep history and humanity are my biggest inspirations. Art keeps me grounded to what is important. In an era of increasing artificiality, it helps me be authentic. We have access to information from across the world. The voice of every global challenge is amplified to feel equally important, regardless of its size, region, or impact. This is incredibly overwhelming, especially for the young people who are going to inherit the world. However, if you cut through the noise and look at things plainly, it becomes clear that the biggest problem we face is the prioritization of profit at the expense of quality. This touches every part of life, even in the natural world. Industries like fast fashion, meat production, sweatshops, and pharmaceuticals are racing against themselves to get as much profit as possible, often at the cost of quality, natural resources, and ethics. The same can be seen in the rise in AI, devaluing human experience and labor. Thisindividualistic world feels impossible to live in , but that is why art is so important to me. I see art as a remedy to this issue. Art takes time, real human effort, and emotion. Real art is impossible to fake, it comes from slowing yourself down and using resources for something other than profit. The viewing of art also gives others the same opportunity. It gives some pause in our busy world, allowing us to connect, wonder, and be inspired. In the disinformation and AI world we are moving towards it's important to have physical tangible pieces of history such as art. Throughout history Art has been one of the most effective tools for social change. If done right, its a visual language we can all understand. Through creation we have the power to show the world what we believe in. This is how we artists can become agents of social change. I believe the faster AI grows, so does the appetite for real human work. It's my hope that this will bring us closer together, preserving our humanity.

Being an artist means participating in a distinctly human tradition. I think of the first cave paintings in Altamira. Expressing symbolic thought is one of the key milestones we use to identify when man became man. It separates us from earth's other creatures, giving us the unique ability to communicate our inner selves. Those early artists portrayed what was most important to them, big game. Being the source of their livelihood, animals kept them fed, clothed, and gave them purpose. I revere the artists that came before me; their deep history and humanity are my biggest inspirations. Just like it did for them, art keeps me grounded to what is important. In an era of increasing artificiality, it helps me be authentic. I'm studying art to eventually get my masters and teach at a university. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to go to college and receive such a good art education so far, and I want to pass that gift on to as many others as I can. To teach art would be such a great honor; I want to honor the legacy and life of all the artists who have come and passed before me. I enjoy exploring different dynamics with subjects, mediums, and elements/principles. In my exploration, I find myself returning to the idea of mortality and its relationship to the human body. The idea that we are all connected through the shared experience of death is frightening, but maybe not as much as it first seems. Life and death is just another duality, like love and loss or the beautiful and the repulsive. Every living creature is made of the same gooey junk, but that is what unites us. We’re born, we pass through nature, and go on to eternity, and we do it together.

Being an artist means participating in a distinctly human tradition. I think of the first cave paintings in Altamira. Expressing symbolic thought is one of the key milestones we use to identify when man became man. It separates us from earth's other creatures, giving us the unique ability to communicate our inner selves. Those early artists portrayed what was most important to them, big game. Being the source of their livelihood, animals kept them fed, clothed, and gave them purpose. I revere the artists that came before me; their deep history and humanity are my biggest inspirations. Just like it did for them, art keeps me grounded to what is important. In an era of increasing artificiality, it helps me be authentic. I'm studying art to eventually get my masters and teach at a university. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to go to college and receive such a good art education so far, and I want to pass that gift on to as many others as I can. To teach art would be such a great honor; I want to honor the legacy and life of all the artists who have come and passed before me. I enjoy exploring different dynamics with subjects, mediums, and elements/principles. In my exploration, I find myself returning to the idea of mortality and its relationship to the human body. The idea that we are all connected through the shared experience of death is frightening, but maybe not as much as it first seems. Every living creature is made of the same gooey junk, but that is what unites us. We’re born, we pass through nature, and go on to eternity, and we do it together. In the digital era we have access to information from all across the world. The voice of every global challenge is amplified to feel equally important, regardless of its size, region, or impact. This can be incredibly overwhelming, especially for the young people who are going to inherit the world. However, if you cut through the noise and look at things plainly, it becomes clear that the biggest problem we face is the prioritization of profit at the expense of quality. This touches every part of every life, even in the natural world. Industries like fast fashion, meat production, sweatshops, and pharmaceuticals are furiously racing against themselves to get as much profit as possible, often at the cost of quality, natural resources, or labor practices. The same can be seen in the rise in AI, devaluing human experience and labor. This very individualistic world feels impossible to live in sometimes, but that is why art is so important to me. Art takes time, real human effort, and emotion. Real art is impossible to fake, it comes from slowing yourself down and using resources for something other than profit. The viewing of art also gives others the same opportunity. It gives some pause in our busy world, allowing us to connect, wonder, and be inspired. In the disinformation and AI world we are moving towards it's important to have physical tangible pieces of history such as art. Throughout history Art has been one of the most effective tools for social change. If done right, its a visual language we can all understand. Through creation we have the power to show the world what we believe in. This is how we artists can become agents of social change. I believe the faster AI grows, so does the appetite for real human work. It's my hope that this will bring us closer together, preserving our humanity.