The Last Hurrah

Towards the beginning of this year I was afraid, so to speak, that all of my projects were going to be painting, mostly because I felt like I hadn’t enough sense or experience in any other medium. When pitching my first idea to the class, it was originally supposed to be a layered painting because that is what I knew and felt comfortable with. However, then I decided to change it to just cut layered paper that was lit from behind due to the feedback I got on the initial idea. Because this was my first project in paper, which I had never worked on, there was an enormous amount of trial and error. While presenting the final pieces, I vividly remember stressing to the class that during this process I had no idea what I was doing but just had to figure it out on the way.

            For me, most of this class was having no idea what was going on relatively, but knowing what we had to have accomplished at the end. I had had this pre-conceived notion that science and art were totally different as well as one being more respected than others, but on our journeys, the actual scientists that we spoke to changed my mind completely. Especially at the Jet Propulsion Lab, all of the speakers know so clearly what they were talking about when it came to Mars or space but at times expressed that they had trouble conveying that to others or the public clearly and easily. All of the speakers were fascinated at our process and artistic liberty to create art from their information and were beyond respectful of individuals who actually do that for JPL.        

            As the class got more united and comfortable with each other, I began to feel a real bond with everyone. We all were fascinated enough by space to take a class that is literally about seven hours long. When I would talk about this to other friends in my major, they would be appalled at the time. However, once I told them exactly what the class was and the opportunities we had, they would try to find a way to take it themselves.

            The opportunities we had through this class were unlike any other. Honestly, I did not expect this class to be this amazing. Being a class that could consistently go to JPL to walk around and talk and see basically all of the major components and people that their space missions go through is a once in a lifetime opportunity. With the Integratron, reading The Martian together, renting out the Observatory, along with countless speakers, this has been a life-changing process. Unlike any other, this experience encouraged me to be adventurous with things that normally would scare me into not even trying them in the first place. Yes, I am not an art major, but who is to say that art will not be a daily part of my life. I think that is what I enjoyed best out of this class; this class was not a job opportunity route but a path that led me to bigger ideas and feelings when it comes to myself and my abilities in all areas.