Stressfrom Failure

Size: 10"x15"

Medium: Graphie and Pastel September-2022

This piece was done to represent how COVID-19 changed me as a person. The 3 heads are self portraits from each of the 3 years of COVID-19. The piece was also made to represent the notion of not letting failure define you and to overcome and learn from any failures in life.

Statement of interest:

As a child, I have always enjoyed the design process, creativity and building hands-on projects from scratch. This design process enabled me to improve my interpersonal skills working with groups and independent skills, as I strived to elevate myself to new heights. My ambitious drive to improve, fueled by my growth mindset enabled me to create many works of art that I am proud of. I learned to embrace my failures along with my success to achieve greater success in the future. During my artistic journey, I discovered many art influences, such as Morgan Weistling (a traditional oil painter who specializes in old western/cowboy paintings), Subodh Gupta (an Indian artist who specializes in making large-scale sculptures made with kitchen cutlery as his tools to create sustainability concepts) and John B. Parkin (an exemplary Architect who through his works was able to change the future of Ontario into what we know today). Therefore, when getting into high school my love for technology, design and art deepened further. I enjoyed more opportunities to sharpen my skills and express myself, such as joining all my Technological Design related classes and applying to clubs and programs such as SHSM. A defining moment where my love for architecture matured was during my grade 11 design technology where we had many assignments, of which my favourite two assignments were designing a roller coaster and a tiny home. For my roller coaster assignment we had to design, plan, and construct a miniature roller coaster model that would compete in Wondercoaster Building Contest at Canada’s Wonderland. I designed and constructed the roller coaster and used marbles as a coaster train. Points were awarded to elements of the roller coaster. For example, loops are equal to 5 points and steep ramps equal 3 points. This initial project encouraged me and motivated my design skills. This project involved brainstorming, reflecting upon my ideas and utilising problem solving skills. The project also challenged me intellectually to keep pushing what's capable for my roller coaster to gain more points. For my tiny home assignment, we were instructed to plan, design and construct a small eco-friendly bungalow home that was equal to or under 250 square feet. The tiny home would then be submitted to a competition that was hosted by Habitat For Humanity (A non-profit organization seeking to shelter first nations and indigenous populations who don't have access to easy shelter). The winner would have their house constructed and donated to Canadian first nations reserves.

This was my first real-world experience working with architectural software such as SketchUp, Autodesk Revit and FloorPlanner.com. It gave me insight into how the industry works and the many opportunities for my future career path. Upon completion of both these assignments, I understood that architecture and design is a career I want to further explore. It challenges my critical thinking skills with overcoming obstacles and challenges. The obstacles and challenges architects face emulate a puzzle to me, solving the puzzles is both gratifying and informative. At first, I was unaware of Laurentian University’s architecture program until I visited my school's university’s fair to scout out potential university pathways for my future career. After I was recommended by a classmate to check the Laurentian University booth I was greeted with overwhelming hospitality and vital information regarding the school and course. After further investigation into Laurentian University, I was able to see why the university was regarded as one of the best universities for architecture. Asking students who are currently attending Laurentian University for architecture, I have only been met with glowing positive reviews. I understand that Laurintaion takes great pride in how hands-on the course is and the real-world experience students are able to acquire that grows character and skills. After careful consideration, I understand that Laurintain's hands-on approach to architecture is exactly how I imagine spending my future academic career. I’m looking forward to adding to Lauritatin's welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, similar to the welcoming hospitality I received during the university fair. I'm also interested in taking a leadership role in my community therefore my friends and I are planning to start an architecture club where students can learn more in-depth lessons about software and skills. From the very first compliment I had received on my artwork as a child, to the current artist I am, art and design has been a vital part of my life and played an important role to shape my current character. As I move along in the next chapter in my life I'm looking forward to new challenges and opportunities to grow and develop further as an artist and designer.