Digital Arts is not an easy field to be in. With its vast array of choices to major or minor in and the amount of classes it takes, it can be overwhelming at times. Add to this the fact that it can be a pretty cut-throat place in which you have to fight to be the best to secure great things for your future, digital arts can feel more like a battle field than a career path. Originally being a Forensics major has allowed me to bring over my attention to detail into my work. This attention to detail has boosted my skills in Illustration by giving me the ability to look at an image from multiple point of view, break it down and redesign it well before it even hits the page. This has made it a strength. Next would have to be 3D modeling. I have a good eye for spacial awareness and this allows me to be able to create models easily because I can conceptualize the space and object as I create it. W

Coding is one of, if not my biggest, weakness. My brain sees even partial math problems and decides to shut down. I have never been good with math. Because of this, at times I can be a little bit slow on the uptake of new ways to do things in coding programs. The programs used for modeling or art are simple enough to grasp as my brain is highly visual based and even if I can’t figure something out at first, eventually I will find the answer. However, with coding the code I am working on could be missing a period somewhere and everything breaks. I don’t know where the problem is and I have to go search for where it is to fix it. I’ve gotten better over the years but not as much as I wish to. I know that with time and patience I will grasp the idea of coding but for now all I can do is practice and improve. T

Two professors have influenced me greatly in my time in school. Though she was not technically a teacher in the FMX department, Paris gave me a greater understanding and appreciation of the side of art that I originally saw as pointless. Her Art History lectures were some of the best I had ever had, never dull or listless. These lectures lead to my interest in the many different styles and have influenced my own work and helped me to integrate them into what I do. She taught me that even the weirdest most outrageous styles had a place and to create what I love. Santiago is my advisor and he is a tornado of inspiration. There is no other way to explain him. You get sucked in to this tornado and you can do nothing except hang on for the ride. As scary as a Santiago tornado can be, with him threatening no sleep or social life, there is beauty in the process he makes us go through and the product that comes with the process is something I never would have thought I could create without his help. Though I hate coding with a passion, I now have a greater appreciation of it and how it works to create such beautiful works of art. I have Santiago for helping me overcome something I struggle with and create art from it. W

The future is an open book. I’ve been in school for a long time and the road has never been smooth. However, I’m will never give up as evident in the fact that I switched degrees late into the process of one to start a completely different one. I know I have to be realistic and have at least five backup plans, personally, and be willing to accept them all if a previous one does not work out. For me, it would be amazing to land a job at a game studio where I could design storyboards and model characters or scenes. I will try my hardest to get make the goal a reality. I would also like to take some time to myself as well. I want to do this to be able to better my skills while at the same time staying within the fields I love the most and spread my name with a Youtube channel or a blog. However, my main and unchanging goal is eventually be able to leave and work outside of the United States. I want to be able to explore other countries and the talents/abilities they posses in their art while molding them into my own personal style.