Why CalArts? (CalArts MFA, EA 2012)

"Why CalArts" essay submitted for my application to the MFA Experimental Animation program at CalArts for fall of 2012.

While researching potential Graduate Schools it quickly became clear to me that the CalArts Experimental Animation program was the only program in the country that met my educational desires. Along with the freedom to explore and experiment, it is very important to me that my professors are working in the field that they teach. This was the case for my undergraduate degree at Columbia College Chicago and I felt that this realistically prepared me for the professional world, which is after all, a large reason to pursue a degree. I also feel very strongly about a collaborative education. The opportunity CalArts provides its students to work with other departments is a large and important aspect for me. I believe that to create effective art, you have to embrace collaboration with artists of other disciplines. A bonus factor is the 24-hour campus. I generally do my best work in the middle of the night. Working in a cubicle for 40 mundane hours a week doesn’t leave much time or energy to achieve any flow. All creative work I have done recently has had to be done either on my lunch hour or between getting home from stage managing and sleep. I am desperate for a lifestyle that supports my creative self, it is what I have to offer the world and I will not allow it to be stifled.

My approach to art has always been experimental. I am constantly observing and analyzing the nature of any given material. Absolutely anything is fair game to transform into medium. I am in constant communication with the material at hand; listening and responding, never forcing. I create as a team with the medium. As the artist within me evolves, I hunger for a more expansive toolbox. I continue to work in theater devising new pieces, analyzing classics, and exploring the human spirit, but yearn to create something more permanent. I am constantly searching for mediums that would most effectively and interestingly communicate what I have to say; and I always find myself back at animation -- specifically stop motion. When I visualize my ideas coming to life on film, I can feel them vibrating through me, anxious to be out in the world. The potential for dynamic imagery, story, and concept is limitless. From where a particular hair is placed in a three-dimensional space to the frame by frame visual to the grand story arc, the composition can be manipulated in great detail. The medium also allows for exploration of the abstract, of the non-linear, of the purely emotive. Like theater, I believe that through the art of animation we can tap into the true nature of the human experience. We can create a magic that resonates deep within someone; that shines a light on a part of themselves they had forgotten or never even noticed.

Given the opportunity to study at CalArts, it would allow me to learn traditional animation techniques along with having the freedom to experiment with, and create new techniques. I would have access to facilities, guidance, and collaboration to further my artistry and ability to execute ideas. It would also help me to form a more solid understanding of the industry, its history, and the inherent potential within the medium. My goal in studying Experimental Animation is to cultivate my knowledge, skills, and artistry so that I can successfully grow within the medium of animation, and into my own artistic ambitions.