C A T A R I N A
As a child, I was obsessed with the idea of becoming an artist; I drew on any surface I could get my hands on. As I grew a little older, I learned that many painters and artists of old died without making a penny, and I had to rethink that idea. However, I never relinquished my love of creating, and it’s a good thing, too, because creating has since evolved. YouTube artists, Instagram stars, Deviantart and Behance members – the creators of today: all beautiful artwork at my fingertips. It was ingrained in me, stuck in my DNA as clearly as my hair color or height. I was an artist, and it was all I would ever be good for. My passion for creating had ruined me for any other career.
And yet, as I grew older still, maintaining that love, that vigor for creativity, I gained other passions. A passion for writing, a love of spelling and grammar. A love of the stage and performing. Music, language, fashion.
But with age came humility. A realization that I was, perhaps not insignificant, but I could not stand by and be guided solely by my own ambition. With that realization came more refined passions. A sense of duty toward environmentalism and a responsibility toward my community. I gained knowledge about how the world worked and perspective about who I was in it. I realized that, no matter my likes, goals, or ambitions, I was very small, and the world deserves better.
I have a duty as a global citizen.
I want, no, need to be a part of making the world a better place. I have to make a change. I couldn’t just be in my own idyllic bubble anymore, drawing and writing, making myself happy, but not helping, contributing to the efforts to surmount the crises our world faces. I want to go beyond the scope of traditional art and explore sustainability, environmental impact, and communication design—design for good.
If I’m not part of the solution, I’m simply part of the problem.
These goals are, selfless though they might first sound, partially self-serving. They might even be downright pretentious. I do want to make an imprint on this world, but I also want to be remembered long after I am gone, and time still after that.
At the yet unripe age of twenty, I still lack the necessary modesty or grace to lose myself in a particular cause. But through my work, I hope to gain an ever broader view, a lens through which to see the world, and all that still needs to be accomplished in its honor.
I have gained knowledge in various aspects of design such as illustration, animation, publication design, environmental design, and website creation. I understand the psychology behind design and its impact in our society, how it drives and inspires and coerces and persuades. How it can be implemented into a store window display as easily as a bus stop ad or a streamlined app. How, without it, our world would be irrevocably different, perhaps even collapse. For what is design, art, or our ability to create, but a means for dissemination? What does our society lie on other than our ability to communicate with one another? Observing the world gives me insight in the interactions we have every day with design.
It is as irreplaceable as it is essential.
I love art, and I want to change the world. My goals describe my love for design married with my desire to help “make the world a better place.” And that is the ultimate goal: to gain knowledge and experience and worldliness enough to work in a field that I love and still be able to accomplish what needs to be done. I hope to join a unique team of dreamers, our next generation of artists and coders and animators and designers, not only for our love of creating, but to inspire, challenge, and ignite the journey toward change.