My passion for cultural immersion stems from my admiration of the infinitesimal human perspectives the world has to offer. A large part of my inspiration as an artist comes from the beauty of the world around me. My setting has been exclusive to the colorful small town I grew up in, and I yearn to experience something beyond that admittedly narrow perspective. However, my passion for learning languages has helped me to somewhat fulfill that desire without leaving home, especially when the pandemic made staying home a necessity. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel abroad to Paris, France, a city renowned for its artistry, and I absolutely adored seeing the same existence we are all within being lived differently and seen from so many different angles. I got to view masterworks from centuries before mine at the Louvre, Orsay, Rodin, and Fondation Louis Vuitton, including pieces from Vincent van Gogh, one of my favorite artists. Seeing van Gogh's depiction of his bedroom from 150 years in the future connected me not only to the past and to a man I had never met but to everyone in the present viewing his painting with me, gleaning their own, unique meaning from it. Speaking the local language also made me feel connected to the otherwise foreign city I was in, and it has made me realize how amazing it is that my life runs concurrently with millions of strangers with their own unique and complex lives and cultural beliefs. I definitely want my world travels to continue in college, as I place an immense value in the lessons different cultures can teach us. Different stories, histories, experiences, and ideals can give insight into a whole new perspective on the way the world works, and perhaps can give us insight into solving the world's most pressing issues. As an aspiring journalist, what I want most is to play a hand in connecting people with cultures they have not previously looked into, experienced, or even heard of; as an aspiring artist, what I want most is to showcase the beauty of it all. Through my hobby of language learning, I taught myself not only Swedish but a small amount of Finnish as well. Both are spoken in Finland, the country I would like to study abroad in during college. Finland, or Suomi in Finnish, is both the land of my ancestors and home to some of the most interesting cultures, history, and languages on Earth, in my opinion. For example, the Finnish creation myth details the world, sun, moon, and stars being formed from a broken Goldeneye egg, and Väinämöinen, Finnish folklore's central character, is the basis of many depictions of wizards in popular literature. For such eccentric mythology with undeniable cultural and creative impact, I also feel that the small Nordic country is often overlooked. From studying in Finland, I want to bring back accounts of how these unique stories and a rather isolated global position impact Finnish culture and artistry today. I also feel that it would greatly benefit both my journalistic and artistic endeavors. Another concept I feel the world could learn from the Finns is that of sisu. Sisu means resilience, grittiness, and the willingness to work together to achieve a greater good. Many of the world's problems today, from climate change to poverty to political divisiveness, stem from apathy and hatred for one another. Embracing sisu means understanding both our common differences and our common goal of living happy, healthy lives, and being willing to do anything to ensure everyone achieves that goal.

For me, being an artist means grounding myself in reality. It means having an outlet of control whenever I am overwhelmed by the many complexities and complications of life and being able to shape something into existence with a paper and pencil or to capture a moment in time with a camera. To me, life is utterly strange. It can go from mundane to extraordinary in the blink of an eye, and although it may seem random, we have systems of belief that try to prove its deliberateness. Sometimes it’s clear cut, other times it’s ambiguous. It’s the indescribability of life that I seek to capture in my art; one-of-a-kind moments and feelings that can only be expressed in a certain way. I believe that to be the true purpose of art and art-making: to take jumbled-up thoughts and emotions and translate them into something that anyone can understand. To that end, as an artist, I believe that it is not a title reserved for a select few. Anyone can make art; it is not a talent one does or does not have. Rather, I believe it is a natural way to express emotion, spirituality, and humanity. What's more, as our emotions and beliefs change over time, so do the way we capture them artistically. The same scenery may be painted, sketched, or rendered multiple different times throughout hundreds of years, and with each rendition, we gain a new perspective on the world: another angle about the complexities of human existence. That is what truly fascinates me about art. No matter how much art we consume, there will always be something new to learn from each piece. No matter how much technical skill I gain, there will always be a new angle to take. I do plan to incorporate art into my career, potentially in a directorial or editorial position in media, and to continue making art for the rest of my life. I could not imagine my life without it or the lessons I have learned from the wonderful people who have helped me hone my skills, style, and artistic vision. What I want most from an art career is to have a hand in changing its perception on a large scale. As my generation is beginning to think critically about long-standing institutions, we seem to be discovering the humanity behind the endless strings of numbers that dominate our lives. Too often do people determine the quality of art in terms of the profit it generates, rather than the emotions and thoughts it engenders. Concurrently, being a full-time artist is mocked as not being a "real career." What I want for future generations is for them to shirk the preconceived notions that talent is the barrier to becoming a true artist and that dedicating your life to making art is a fruitless endeavor. Life should not be considered a game in which the winner is who earns the most money, rather it should be embraced as the blessing it truly is.

I have known that I was gay since I was 13 when I told my dad that I was not straight, and instead of accepting my declaration with an open mind, he told me to "wait and see." His response made sense at the moment, as we were both emotionally on edge while watching one of the most salient political occurrences of our lifetimes-the election of Donald Trump to the presidency-unfold. They were words of comfort in a moment of mind-bending, heart-wrenching uncertainty. And I did just that: I waited, and I saw. At first, the picture my mind painted was a confounding one. True, he is my father, but what does he know about what I am going through? Are we not two completely different people? Not only did it make me resentful, but it further indoctrinated within me that heterosexuality was the default. I was forcing myself into an identity I didn't belong to, to instinctually see the potential "other" in people, when in reality, that little piece of otherness was still in me. Even today, when I can safely identify as bisexual, there is a nagging voice in my brain, telling myself that I am not gay enough for the word; that there is still waiting to be done; that I must shout from the rooftops who I am to finally receive the validation I have been craving when I cannot even speak loud enough for people to hear me as it is. As more and more distance has been put between me and that night, the beauty and fluidity of my sexuality-my "otherness"-has come more and more into focus. Waiting took on a different meaning. I gave myself new label after new label and sometimes ripped it off. Each one allowed me a new perspective, and when I realized it was not working, I allowed myself the compassion to accept that change is good, and see myself as a boundlessly complex human being, not a rigid rubric of criteria that I must fulfill. As to what my future holds, I want to allow my voice to grow naturally, instead of forcing myself to shout. While I have been fortunate to live in a very accepting community, the fear of rejection has still forced me to the sidelines. Slowly, but surely, I want to overcome that fear. I want to become involved in LGBTQ+ groups in college and use my voice and experiences to help myself and others struggling with their identities and advocate for those who have not been given a platform to express themselves. I want to teach others like me the lesson I learned about my own identity: that while it is ok to wait and see, there is no "correct" version of themselves that they owe people.