Artist: Alissa DerKazarian
Piece: Spring 2018 cover art (Untitled)
Please tell us about yourself:
My favorite movie is Donnie Darko, my favorite food is buffalo wings, I love a lot of different music but my favorite genre is probably rock/alternative. Some of my favorite artists/inspirations are Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kurt Cobain and Shepard Fairey. I enjoy reading too, but I don’t think I really have a favorite book/author.
Do you have a background in the arts?
I have always been drawing and doodling since I was little, and as I got older I got even more interested in it and I started looking up videos of people drawing and I’d try to imitate what they were doing. I still practice all the time in my notebooks or at home if I’m bored.
Please tell us about your piece:
The drawing I entered was something I made when I was just hanging around listening to music.
Please describe your creative process:
A lot of the time I’ll copy a photo, whether it’s for a commission or just for myself, but other times I’ll randomly be inspired and just start making something more spontaneous, like this one. When this is the case, my drawing will reflect my mood and usually the type of music I’m listening to as well - in this case I don’t remember exactly, but I’m guessing it was most likely upbeat/pop music based on the result.
Piece: Spring 2018 cover art (Untitled)
Please tell us about yourself:
My favorite movie is Donnie Darko, my favorite food is buffalo wings, I love a lot of different music but my favorite genre is probably rock/alternative. Some of my favorite artists/inspirations are Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kurt Cobain and Shepard Fairey. I enjoy reading too, but I don’t think I really have a favorite book/author.
Do you have a background in the arts?
I have always been drawing and doodling since I was little, and as I got older I got even more interested in it and I started looking up videos of people drawing and I’d try to imitate what they were doing. I still practice all the time in my notebooks or at home if I’m bored.
Please tell us about your piece:
The drawing I entered was something I made when I was just hanging around listening to music.
Please describe your creative process:
A lot of the time I’ll copy a photo, whether it’s for a commission or just for myself, but other times I’ll randomly be inspired and just start making something more spontaneous, like this one. When this is the case, my drawing will reflect my mood and usually the type of music I’m listening to as well - in this case I don’t remember exactly, but I’m guessing it was most likely upbeat/pop music based on the result.
Author: Abby Hovagimian
Piece: Untitled (prose)
Please tell us about yourself:
I'm Abby, and I'm a senior. I like to write, play music, hike, and ponder the meaning of life.
Talk briefly about your inspirations:
I'm inspired by a lot of different people and things. My friends and family inspire me almost daily and it shows in a lot of the writing I like to do. The differences in all the people I know and how they individually change the world always helps me find inspiration. The beauty in nature and little things like a dumb joke can prompt me to do some of my best work.
Please tell us about your piece:
The piece I wrote came to me one day in Creative Writing because I logged into my email. Senior year has been a lot of things so far, but stressful is at the top of the list with a whirlwind of college decisions and negotiations. I know I'm not the only person who was so caught up on my college decision and the process in general, so I wrote what I felt and what maybe some of my peers feel. Things finally settled in March, about 6 months after my first application was sent. I was stressed for a while.
Please describe your creative process:
When I get an idea for a story or poem, it can go one of two ways. I either write everything all at once and only return to edit it, or it takes me a while. Sometimes short bits come to me and I write it in the notes of my phone or in a document. Some of my work will only grow by a paragraph in more than a month.
Piece: Untitled (prose)
Please tell us about yourself:
I'm Abby, and I'm a senior. I like to write, play music, hike, and ponder the meaning of life.
Talk briefly about your inspirations:
I'm inspired by a lot of different people and things. My friends and family inspire me almost daily and it shows in a lot of the writing I like to do. The differences in all the people I know and how they individually change the world always helps me find inspiration. The beauty in nature and little things like a dumb joke can prompt me to do some of my best work.
Please tell us about your piece:
The piece I wrote came to me one day in Creative Writing because I logged into my email. Senior year has been a lot of things so far, but stressful is at the top of the list with a whirlwind of college decisions and negotiations. I know I'm not the only person who was so caught up on my college decision and the process in general, so I wrote what I felt and what maybe some of my peers feel. Things finally settled in March, about 6 months after my first application was sent. I was stressed for a while.
Please describe your creative process:
When I get an idea for a story or poem, it can go one of two ways. I either write everything all at once and only return to edit it, or it takes me a while. Sometimes short bits come to me and I write it in the notes of my phone or in a document. Some of my work will only grow by a paragraph in more than a month.
Author: Vivienne Wychorski
Poem: I Want Her
Please tell us about yourself:
I’m a 17 year old junior with a strong connection to music and the arts. I’d say I’m a rather goofy kind of person who doesn’t really ever know what’s going on and just hopes to be happy in the future.
Talk briefly about your inspirations:
I find a lot of inspiration in current interests and emotions that are too hard to explain simply. At the moment I’ve been drawing inspiration from prominent figures in the lgbt community as they’ve been helping me to figure out my own identity and I greatly admire most of their artistic talents. Music is also a huge inspiration of mine! My favorite movie is The Prince of Egypt and my two favorite bands are Mother Mother and TWRP. I have too many favorite artists to count!
Please tell us about your piece:
This piece was actually just a midnight rambling at first, as are most of my poems. I remember how lonely I had been feeling the night I wrote this and how badly I wished I had a girlfriend in that moment. This poem is really just me imagining the perfect girl and wishing she were there beside me.
Please describe your creative process:
While my art pieces are usually planned out in some form or another, I like to let my poetry ramble on until the thought feels finished. I always try to reflect myself and my feelings into my work and I feel that too much planning can stifle the creative flow of writing personal pieces. Editing can come later, don’t think too much. I don’t have much of a background in writing but I’ve always considered myself an artist. Just as it is with art, I’ve found that writing poetry is a huge help in sorting out emotions and difficult situations while also creating something beautiful to be made proud of.
Poem: I Want Her
Please tell us about yourself:
I’m a 17 year old junior with a strong connection to music and the arts. I’d say I’m a rather goofy kind of person who doesn’t really ever know what’s going on and just hopes to be happy in the future.
Talk briefly about your inspirations:
I find a lot of inspiration in current interests and emotions that are too hard to explain simply. At the moment I’ve been drawing inspiration from prominent figures in the lgbt community as they’ve been helping me to figure out my own identity and I greatly admire most of their artistic talents. Music is also a huge inspiration of mine! My favorite movie is The Prince of Egypt and my two favorite bands are Mother Mother and TWRP. I have too many favorite artists to count!
Please tell us about your piece:
This piece was actually just a midnight rambling at first, as are most of my poems. I remember how lonely I had been feeling the night I wrote this and how badly I wished I had a girlfriend in that moment. This poem is really just me imagining the perfect girl and wishing she were there beside me.
Please describe your creative process:
While my art pieces are usually planned out in some form or another, I like to let my poetry ramble on until the thought feels finished. I always try to reflect myself and my feelings into my work and I feel that too much planning can stifle the creative flow of writing personal pieces. Editing can come later, don’t think too much. I don’t have much of a background in writing but I’ve always considered myself an artist. Just as it is with art, I’ve found that writing poetry is a huge help in sorting out emotions and difficult situations while also creating something beautiful to be made proud of.