Essay for Master's program

For as long as I have been involved in higher education, I have been interested in pursuing my education beyond the graduate level. I have wished to do more, not for the purposes of obtaining a better paying job or for having the proper credentials per se, instead I have been hoping to gather as much knowledge as would permit me to engage in some of the work of postgraduates. I have wanted to do research, to engage in the publishing of articles in academic journals and to become a well-rounded and educated writer, whose contributions would be worthy of mention by my peers. 

I'm a writer, and that has been where my expertise has been maintained since graduating from East Tennessee State University in 2012. I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in English and journalism. But prior to having studied for this degree, I was working toward a career in art. I took several art history courses and a few core art classes, 2D design, painting and drawing. I enjoy making art, and I am interested in science. I love research. I would like to explore the ways this degree can help me develop my skills for the work I enjoy. I have wanted to apply at universities for the study of science. The idea of being able to research things that are in development is exciting to me. 

I studied under the intent to gain an art degree for at least a few semesters. I was given guidance for my studies as I had been taken under the wing of a mentor through the vocational rehabilitation program in Johnson City, TN. There the idea of applying myself for an English degree seemed ludicrous, but my mentor knew I enjoyed art and had me in the graphic design program. I was never interested in studying anything that had to do with computers at that time. However, I had to do something, and English just wouldn't do. I changed majors before ever taking anything that taught anything related to graphic design. I was instead engaged in communications, with journalism as my concentration. This was basically my focus for the remainder of my time at that university, and my mixed bag of classes from changing majors a couple of times had me graduate with this unusual major, Interdisciplinary Studies, but I had wonderfully diverse course work under my belt which has permitted me to learn in a way that is scholarly and I feel very blessed to have taken an unusual path to where I am today.

Art project; from dream to reality.

I had been interested in doing work with paintbrush and printing it for canvas work for a long time, in fact I had been accepted to a gallery for a show because of the concept in 2004. This was the second time I entered a gallery, I also had work at Cumberland Mall in 1998. The small town of Johnson City, TN was kind enough to allow me to have my work exhibited at The Nelson Gallery for their very first exhibition at First Friday there. At the time access to digital media was not as easily obtained. By the time I had my show I had several acrylic pieces but nothing digital. Fastforward, many years later, and I do a lot of doodling on my phone. The new digital picture editing software afforded me the ability to make collage like I had enjoyed in college. Studying 2d design had introduced me to the philosophical side of creating works of art. I loved it. I was never so engaged in art as when I learned about the gestalt principles and the golden ration. I was thrilled to incorporate these into my work. They have helped me to understand better what it is I am doing at present.

It is probably not common, but I have been creating collage with my phone's Photoshop app. I like to believe that the default settings have played a role in my performing better, because the guess work is taken out of some of the design. I am able to repeat patterns and reduce size all with perfect proportion. What I have done in addition is use my personal photography, selfies and images of my paintings in order to keep a sort of ongoing theme, if not advertise my better work, within these new works that are digital images I have played with in photoshop. I then print them as posters sometimes left as is and sometimes reincorporated into canvas work or just amped up a bit with gel pens and paint pens. Some of them become beautiful works. I have also loved experimenting with 3d materials in my canvas work, Beading, plaster, as well as applying canvases to the tops of other canvases have been some of my experiments in the last year. Along with the prints from my photoshop collages, I have enjoyed trying this sort of sculpting also, and it is what I aim to do with future pieces, I like to say, "The more the Mary-er."

This, along with the study of literature and science has been the groundwork of my current interests and research. I have worked hard discovering more and applying it to what I have already learned in hope that when I am able one day to return to school I will be able to pick up where I left off and apply the new knowledge I have gained in a more comprehensive way. I am excited to be able to do more and learn more. I believe that museum studies is the perfect degree for me at this point in my educational journey. 

In the future I hope to apply museum studies to a doctorate that allows me to apply my knowledge and talent for research with my love of writing. I hope a path will open ahead of me, as I am not yet sure what the most current fields are or will be as I am on my journey.