15th
Introductions: Tell Me About Yourself
Something very specific I have realized is this: I am absolute rubbish at talking about myself. By nature, I am incredibly shy and the only way I know how to overcome this tendency is to act out; be more. In classrooms, teachers always commented that I needed to participate more. So when I encountered a particular introduction-heavy situation the other day, it occurred to me it might be useful to write down.
So, hello! My name is Samantha, and I am 22 years old. I was born (May 7th, ‘89) and raised in New York City. Attended private, independent, all-girls’ school for 13 years and hated every moment of it besides the education. My parents are completely different humans: my father is an international corporate lawyer, and my mum illustrates children’s books. As a result of their living in China during the ’80s, I had no sense of where or what culture was home, nor did they give me a cohesive idea of how to live my life. I went through phases of Anglophilia as a way to distance myself from American politics, began studying Chinese and watched anime, enjoyed reading, and drew all day to escape. And I was miserable, aside from my constant friend: art.
It was always art. Which I suppose is typical for lonely people who are drawing, every day, by themselves. Lacking the ability to communicate otherwise art was my way to work, though I would like to think I have improved on that front. Art in every way and form: comics, anything on a museum wall, even galleries, but particularly films and animation. Heartbreaking as it was to attend college for something that was not art, it helped me grow so much as a person. It gave reasoning to my art, to style, and allowed me to figure out where I fit into all of that. How to articulate feelings about Expressionism or Postmodernism, and what line or composition actually means in context. More so than any art class I ever took, learning art history taught me how to think and express myself more effectively. I was so incredibly happy!
Thinking I had it all figured out, I interned in museum after museum. But it wasn’t quite working. Doing research did not feel productive, and the process of putting together one show is incredibly involved. It was not using enough of my soul. I’m in love with art, but I need my art: animation. I don’t care where it comes from, whether it’s early 20th century or from last year; whether it be imported from studios in India, or paper cut-outs by a single woman in war-torn Germany. Animation is life in motion for me; the perfect blending of art and science, harmoniously combining technology and creative ideas.
And now, here I am. Graduated! How do I talk about myself now? How would you introduce yourself?
