Creative Exploration and Collaborative Art in the Community was an experience which led my friends and me on a journey that catalyzed learning and prompted reflection, deepening our understanding of who we are and who we want to be. We began by dedicating several weeks to exploring various self-selected mediums, using them to create art with a unified weekly theme. I chose to focus on the mediums of graphite, ink, and pyrography (woodburning). Although I was familiar with all three of these, I had used none of them in an artistic manner before. This unfamiliarity provided me with increased discomfort, allowing me to further develop my art and heighten the experience. Following the weeks of exploration, we began the creation of the final art piece. After consulting with the owner of The 86 Coffee Bar, we expanded the scope of our project to include and large central piece with four supporting pieces on either side. Initially, this “scope creep” was daunting, and likely contributed to the last-minute stress and cramming we experienced, but the final piece turned out great.

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At the start of the experience I set goals to guide me through to completion.  These goals included the successful collaboration with peers to complete an art installation in a community location, refining my artistic style, and connecting with the community. Although not always easy, I focused my work towards my goals, keeping them in mind throughout the project. I learned a lot about art in general and how I can relate to it. I learned about my creativity and found parallels which can be applied to engineering. And I learned how artwork can have strong ties to a community, uniting individuals in a common interest and breaking down barriers of discomfort and unfamiliarity.

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Expanding on these ideas further, this semester-long experience had a profound impact on me, as well as positively affecting others in the community. First and foremost, I became more familiar and comfortable creating artwork. Prior to this project, the last time I worked with art was art class in the eighth grade. Needless to say, I was (more than a little) scared to swap the world of math and science with this world of paint and glue. The weeks of exploration helped ease me into the final piece, and the support of my close friends helped push me through the discomfort. Pushing the limits of my comfort is a personal goal of mine, and this project allowed me to do just that. Additionally, this experience introduced me to the world of art; a world that is incredibly expansive and diverse yet has the power to unite individuals through time and across cultures. It truly is a global, universal language through which various styles, manners, and mediums can be used to portray a myriad of meanings, both imparted by the creator and manufactured by the viewer. At the conclusion of the experience, when we were finally able to present the art to the coffee shop, it was incredibly rewarding to hear the owners and patrons’ appreciation and praise of the result. It’s pleasing to me how, being in a prominent community location near campus, many students and other members of the community will be able to view and enjoy the art.

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Moving forward, I have an increased appreciation for art, better understanding of my creativity, and valued relationships with friends. Participating in the process of designing and executing a project for public display was taxing. However, my experience with the process has allowed me to further appreciate art I see, especially public works. The community element is something I now see is inherent to public displays of art, and something to considered when reflecting on an artist’s motivations and inspirations. With respect to my pursuit of an engineering degree, the increased understanding and development of my creative process will aid me in my studies and career. Problem solving is a major component of engineering, and this creativity will greatly assist in my problem-solving abilities. Finally, embarking on this journey with several of my close friends, although challenging our relationship at times, greatly increased our understanding of each other and heightened our friendship. I’m sure we will maintain these relationships into the future as we are better suited to understand and help each other.

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Overall, although apprehensive about beginning this experience, I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and completed it. The final product turned out great, and I look forward to seeing it whenever I visit The 86. I learned a lot about myself and my friends through this experience. The components of creativity and community engagement encountered during this project guided me further on the path toward becoming a Global Citizen Scholar. I look forward to future experiences during my future at UC, and will surely incorporate what I’ve learned from this experience into them.