#csssaapplication

I honestly hate my application, all these pieces came from a place of anxiety & I don't feel they're representative of my art. but. I know I wanted to see as many of these as possible when I was making it so if you're applying next year, I love you everything will be ok.

Frida Kahlo is one of my biggest inspirations as an artist. Her persistence despite the hardships she faced throughout her life as a disabled woman of color is truly something to look up to, and her bright, colorful paintings are so much more than meets the eye: they hide symbolism of death, love, an inner turmoil. Through researching her,  I’ve learned a lot about what art means to me, and how it’s much more a deep form of self-expression than a superficial desire to create something beautiful. I love her many self-portraits, and how she is unafraid to show her powerful, unconventional beauty as well as her vulnerability and conflict. I am fascinated by her complex, and almost unbelievable,  life story, her unique voice as an artist, and her strength as a woman in a man’s world. 

In eighth grade, I painted a mural covering a ten-foot section of wall at my school  in the span of a few weeks. Not only was this difficult because it was such a large project,  I also was inexperienced, had little instruction, and had to compromise with a partner. I  could only work during the daily fifty-minute class periods I had for art class, so progress  was slow. Additionally, although my art teacher was very encouraging, he couldn’t coach  me through the new processes I needed to learn; he needed to stay in the classroom  teaching others. I also faced challenges in collaboration: my partner had a specific vision,  while I knew her goals were unrealistic in our limited time. Ultimately, we worked together  to create a mural that, despite our many challenges, we can be proud of because of our  hard work and determination.

Animation has always been magical for me. As a kid, I was fascinated by the  moving, swirling colors of cartoons and the new worlds that they let me experience.  Watching classics like F a n t a sia really opened my eyes to the endless worlds of possibility  that animation could bring to life. This fascination persists today, with some of my biggest  inspirations being Rebecca Sugar of S t e v e n U niv e r s e , Pendleton Ward of A d v e n t u r e  Tim e , and Patrick McHale of Over th e G a r d e n W all . Animation is so appealing to me  because as someone who has drawn all her life, animation adds another dimension;  another element that can elevate drawing to a new level of storytelling that is so  universally enjoyable and relatable. Animation has always been the end-goal for me, the  next step in my journey as an artist, and I believe that CSSSA can give me tools to start  making my own bits of magic.  

[edit: accepted!]

My application for CSSSA 2019! My face is covered in assignment A because internet safety and stuff.

Assignment D (the animation) is here —> https://youtu.be/0cuCJSP4kXQ

So, pretty soon, the wait will be over. After three or so nerve-racking months of self doubt, questioning talent, looking at other applications to compare with our own, spurts of self confidence, and immeasurable amounts of stress, we will all know our CSSSA decisions by the end of the week. For some, that will mean opening a letter to find a handbook, intense feelings of happiness and an even greater sigh of relief, and for others, it will mean a huge hit to their egos, as the burden of failure falls on their shoulders and doubt creeps into their developing minds, torturing them relentlessly with the constant reminder of their inability to excel at exactly the art that they resonate with. 

When each and every one of you receive your letter, you will have a choice. When you open it, the truth of the matter is, what is inside doesn’t matter. The letter that you will receive by no means defines you or your art, whether good or bad. You do. No matter your medium, you are all artists; the ones who change the world. The ones who go against the status quo, challenge the set doctrines and ideological shackles that society is constantly constrained by. You have a purpose: You are the light in a world of darkness and negativity that humanity inhabits. Without you: The reckless, the dreamers, the risk takers, the world would be dull, unchanging, sad and boring. It would be pointless.

Whether that letter says you can go to a summer program or not does not change that. You are an artist. You are here to make a change, to make a name for yourself, to bring joy and emotion and thought to those around you. You are an artist, who’s passion confounds the majority of the world and who’s drive is unstoppable. NO ONE defines what you can do except for yourself. No one can make you who you want to become except for you. 

If you get that rejection letter, think of it as a positive. You have nowhere to go but up, and to do so, you need to always keep your head held high. Tape it up on your wall. Look at it each and every day, and don’t let it define you. Work at your craft. Work day in and day out, until no one, no organization, no camp, no school, no job, can deny you. Become the best and then some, because you are an artist. You are here for a reason, and that letter doesn’t mean shit. 

Change the fucking world, because nothing can stop you. 

You are a fucking artist.

@csssasyndey

@csssaanimation​