College Admissions Essay: How Photography Changed My Life

My eyes are closed. I can feel my heartbeat in my ears, beating in time to the bass drum. Is this a spiritual experience? I stand in the crowd, surrounded by hundred of people feeling the same vivid emotions as I do. The music is what connects me to these strangers. It’s the common thread running from my veins into theirs. We’re all having a life changing experience, right there in that small music venue. But for the band on stage, it’s just another night on tour, going through the motions, playing songs they wrote years ago. And yet, my heart is telling me one thing: This is what I want to be someday. I want to change people’s lives. I want influence the dreams of individuals everywhere, just like those musicians who have influenced my dreams.

When I was younger, I started with making collages, and as I grew older and developed a better eye for shape and detail I started drawing with graphite, colored pencil, illustration markers, and pastel. About three years ago, I became really interested in painting, which is the main medium I use. I use art as a way to express myself and illustrate my best memories the way that I see them. Using specific color schemes and symbols to represent my best memories helps bring me right back to that place when I look back at piece that I’ve finished. Art is my way of remembering the best moments in my

In the first grade, I picked up a clarinet. It was my sister’s, collecting dust while waiting for me to play it. From the moment I produced my first sound, an ear-piercing squeal that frightened my dog, the path of my life took a turn for the better. I began teaching myself for the following three years, along with learning from my sister how to properly play the beautiful instrument. The music pushed me out of my comfort zone: concerts that forced me onstage, tests that made me play difficult songs, and teachers that pushed me to be an exceptional player. From the shy elementary school student I used to be to the outgoing band member I take joy in being today, music has shaped my everyday life.

For a year, I danced to polka music every night. I was a preschool student at the time, and after a long day of coloring and napping, I would cut loose on the dance floor that was my living room. I would often put an expression of awe on our parents’ faces with the physical absurdities I was capable of. It felt as though every facet of my life as a toddler was brought together in these moments, and the music perfectly represented this phase of my childhood. I have since realized how powerful an effect music has on me, and how the music that I love always seems to define the stage in my life which it occupies.

studied various art mediums to explore creative talents. In my junior year, I decided to

The beauty of nature is remarkable. I cherish every moment I am outside admiring the landscape surrounding me. I also enjoy capturing the beauty of nature to share with my friends and family. For my 17th birthday, I received a camera and I was beyond excited to wander the paths throughout my neighborhood; I immediately began to take photos and capture the elegance of nature. Although it is only a hobby and I do not plan on pursuing a career as a professional photographer, I still relish taking photos for my own pleasure and for other people. For example, when my sister became engaged with her boyfriend of eleven years, she suggested that I take her engagement photos; I was shocked and honored. I do not believe that my photography skills are

I thrive in diverse and challenging environments where I am able to push myself emotionally and professionally. With an interest in lifelong learning, thinking quickly and dealing with stressful situations are environments I feel I am well suited to and is what drives me to pursue this career. This belief has driven me to expand my experiences within health care so that I can pursue my goal.

Since I was a young girl, I’ve loved to make things. I was often found doodling intricate patterns all over my notes, crafting collages out of magazine clippings, molding cities out of playdough, and making beautifully detailed cards out of paper. I would draw from life with an imaginative twist, as well as frequently sketch from my manikin. I was interested in many branches of the arts. I did theatre and dance for a number of years as well.

In the country I grew up, academism had influenced artists and art education for decades. Work from classical artists such as Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Frans HALS, Jacques-Louis David is highly used as references in art education. Under this kind of education, skill is particularly emphasized and in some cases, is the only pursuing goal at the end. Being influenced by the art atmosphere there, I also practiced many detailed sketches of portraits and sculptures. I enjoyed the peaceful time that I sat there for hours to cover every detail I observed from the objects. Skills are essential, and this kind of work is attractive. However, I do not see it as the final stop of my journey as an artist. I believed painting, as one of the lived experiences will never be eclipsed. It is a medium that incorporates the most original impulsion of the human being. However, in

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a deep love for art. Whether it was painting, drawing, dancing, music, acting, or building and designing, I was completely into it and I wanted to know everything and anything about it. As I began to grow up, I also started looking more deeply into it and doing more historical research to learn about different types of art, techniques used, the way artists think or what their creations mean, and what inspired them. It fascinates me. When I was 4, my dream was to become a painter. I would wake up early in the morning to watch Bob Ross paint and buy art kits, sketchbooks, paint, brushes, coloring utensils, craft supplies, or anything else that I could get my hands on. I was obsessed.

Then I came to the idea of making paintings. After realizing what I could do, I went to school the next day to ask for the approval of my advisory teacher, Mrs. Della, and she said that it would be perfect. With already supplies at my disposal, which was borrowed from my father, I decided to make that my project.

In every corner of the Earth, there’s art. In houses, nature, outside. If you don’t notice, you aren’t looking hard enough. Creating art is extremely important to me. All types ranging from music, painting, using Prisma colors and more. Art has always been present in my life, but I began to get serious about it when I visited my Aunt’s home last year. I saw my cousin sketching in a small notebook with a black pen. I asked her what she was doing, and she showed me some pages. It mesmerized me. Her drawings were so flawless, but best of all, they looked like fun. From that day forward, I vowed to make art a part of my world, including all the practicing, art-block and the different mediums of art.

Throughout my elementary school years, I began to cultivate a few of my many lifelong passions. One of these was art. At that age, if you gave me a pencil and some paper, I would be lost in the creative whirlpool, thinking of the different objects and ideas that I could bring to life in my sketchbook. As I grew older, I played around with different artistic media, my favorite of which became oil on canvas. Aside from having a creative and therapeutic outlet, what drew me towards art was my desire to seek challenges. Whether it was experimenting with a novel stencil technique or attempting to paint an incredibly detailed landscape, I consistently wanted to put my skills to the test. This craving for challenge wound up

Drawing is not an activity, but a piece of me that I could never let go of. Drawing has transformed itself from a fun hobby into an essential form of expression. It has transformed the way I look at things; nothing is mundane in art. A tree, for example, is a beautiful thing. Every single tree is unique, with its own bark texture, its own arrangement of branches, and its own color. The limit only gets pushed further when the tree inherits the personality of its artistic creator. Whenever I feel emotionally connected to something, I generally have an impulse to draw it, which strengthens the connection. Both the result and the process are rewarding; it is always possible to improve, challenge, and discuss with other artists. There aren’t always “right” ways to draw things, which allows illustration to evolve throughout time.

I never started out saying I was going to be an artist, I still did a child’s fair share of doodles and finger painting but it was never anything that raptured my attention. However, this would all change on Christmas Eve, when my grandmother presented me with a book entitled “How to Draw 120 of your Favorite Things”. Now the title was not the most original approach, the book’s cover made up