Everything has led up to this

For many of my freshman students at RISD, choosing a major can be stressful.  Even after they’ve officially declared their major, many students still have doubts about their choice at the end of the year. More and more, it’s become clear to me that no matter what major they choose, that experience will ultimately be valuable.

I was an Illustration major, and while I did take a diverse range of courses at RISD, I eventually focused my last two years on figurative oil painting.  After graduation, I continued oil painting for another four years.  It has been nine years since I picked up a brush to oil paint, and to this day I have only completed one professional illustration job. Does that mean all of those years I spent learning illustration and oil painting were wasted? Not at all; one thing I’ve learned over the past few years is that every experience I’ve had has made a contribution to my artistic growth. Even circumstances I resented or was skeptical about have enhanced my progress.  Over time, I’ve amassed a wealth of experiences which allows for my skills to come and go in response to what I’m working on at the time.

The video series I’m working on right now is proof of that. I’m basically trying to write down literally everything I know.  Every course I’ve taught, every artwork I’ve made, every exhibition I’ve organized, every article I’ve written, etc. will inform this project. This is an enormous undertaking, and every time I sit down to write, I’m overwhelmed by how much I have to share. The project is a culmination of everything I’ve learned in my entire life.