WeekTwo-Portfolio Spread

Envelope-before

    On my second day in my art seminar class I was forced to show how poorly I keep my portfolio. Honestly I had never even tried to create a portfolio until I was told to bring one in for class this week. I didn't have much artwork to make a portfolio so I had to make ten new pieces. It was so difficult because my mind was blank; all I could think of was doodles. It sounds strange but that’s how my mind works. I couldn't think of anything amazing or worthy of a portfolio. I saw random images of peace signs and flowers, so that’s exactly what I drew. After creating crap for art, I had to figure out what to put them in. Of course my thoughts on this were just as lost, so I grabbed an envelope, one without the nifty clasp attached.

My Drawings

    It was rather embarrassing being the only student in my class that had this envelope with ten pages of recent drawings. My teacher actually gave me some real advice, he didn’t criticize me just for having a poor portfolio, and he said “he didn’t have great expectations, but next time he would”. Once he told me how to improve my portfolio, I felt more comfortable exposing my work to my classmates. It was an experience I will probably never forget. So, I took Professor Peck’s advice and changed how my portfolio looks. I put a stiff, folder inside a zip-lock bag and my ten drawings are stacked on top of the folder. For now I think that my portfolio is appropriate, until I’m told otherwise or until I come up with something better, artistically speaking of course.

My Portfolio- After

Week One-INTRO

I have always loved creating art. My medium has mainly been sketching or drawing and I was introduced to painting at a very young age. It was exciting and freeing, a way to escape into my fantasies as a child. My biggest problem has been trying to create my vision through my artwork. I feel like that's every artist's major dilemma, making their ideas come to life through art. The artist may feel confident in his skills but then once his work is exposed to the eyes of a critic that confidence changes, it may increase or decrease, depending on the critique of his pieces.

I'm not a very confident artist myself, but I have faith that St. Xavier is the right fit for me. My classes are small and interactive. Some teachers are scary because their main objective is to challenge you and help you exceed your own academic expectations. Others are inviting and force you to think way deeper than just the surface. This is the type of learning experience a young aspiring artist should surround himself in. I can gain confidence just from the non-artistic learning values I obtain from St. Xavier.

I feel at home here, like I belong to a family striving for academic excellence. It's truly inspiring. I chose St. Xavier University to build and grow on the artistic abilities I already have. The college experience I receive from St. Xavier will be greater than I ever imagined.