Final thoughts

Looking back on such an excellent semester, I feel as though this class opened my mind in ways I never expected. Before this class, I thought the idea that art and science had some similarities was interesting, but I had trouble making those connections on my own. But now I see that the two have many similarities in the way that they both reveal truth, and that the two also inform one another. I’ve always been very passionate about art and very interested in science, and this class brought the two together in my mind.

I have realized that incorporating art into science helps me learn and understand complex concepts much better. When something is drawn out or given a narrative, it makes me comprehend things that would otherwise seem out of my grasp. This idea is what inspired me for my final – a comic that explains the big bang in a way that makes sense for the average person and is also fun to read. For me, that goes back to my childhood, the first time I ever saw art and science working together, and I didn’t even realize how effective that could be until now.

It was also interesting going to JPL and seeing how they use art to develop rovers and other technology that helps them to study Mars. It fascinated me how a simple sketch and an abstract idea could eventually turn into something so concrete. It made me realize how similar their process is to my own as an artist. We all start out with a concept and go through the process of trial and error, and through that we discover different ways to make things work.

Both art and science allow us to go beyond what we see in front of us with the naked eye. Both force us to look both inside ourselves and out at the bigger picture to gain more out of the human experience. Learning about these connections made me see just how significant a part of life art and science are. Without them, we would simply choose to accept the mere surface level of reality. With them, we are able to venture further and experience the incredible.

I will admit that this class was at times challenging for me – as someone who had only ever done painting and drawing, thinking outside the box was a new experience for me. But I learned a lot. I worked in video, which I had never done before, and I learned a lot from the other people in the class as well. Getting to go to the Integratron and Mount Wilson were incredible experiences for me that gave me a new perspective on the world and both have made me look at my own work in a new way. I feel like those experiences and the things I have learned through making the projects will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I’m very glad I took this class. It has allowed me to think in ways I haven’t before about my artwork and my writing as well. I’m definitely still learning and growing, but I see myself working in different media and exploring different subject matter in my work moving forward. I hope to find more opportunities to merge the two disciplines, as there are just so many ways that the two can go together!