This talented artist and writer shares how Explo has helped her develop her skills and outlines why the skills she has learned this year will carry over in the years to come.
This is my second year at Explo, but this time around, I’m a residential student. I find it so exciting to be able to live in the dorms and experience Explo 24/7. Even though sometimes you do miss home, being around your living group and getting close to all these interesting people from all over is an experience I never would have gotten if I had stayed a day student.
If I had to choose my greatest passion, it’d be a tie between art, writing, and reading. I like doing a lot of creative things! At Explo this summer, I’m taking fantasy writing and abstract painting, so I get to do the things I really love while I develop my skills. My favorite activity so far has been splatter painting in my abstract art course. We got to learn about Pollock and then also practice what he did, so it was a really unique and fun way to learn about art history.
I think Explo can help me become a better artist because this program lets me do something that I love while creating things that I can always keep and remember. I’ll also get to be a better writer because my fantasy writing class lets me develop better writing skills and think in new ways that I never thought about before.
A piece of advice I’d give to new artists would be to do what you want. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, it’s your art, not theirs and what part of what makes it so special is the meaning that it gives you. Same thing for writers, I’d say the best piece of advice is to write from your heart.
Something that I want to cross off of my “Explo Bucket List” in my last week here would be to create amazing final projects in both my classes that I can be proud of. I also just want to have fun and make friends and enjoy every single moment. I believe that Explo can help me in my future even after the summer is done. There’s a lot of kids here who want to do something with their life and Explo pushes you in the right direction by letting you be creative.
Jaryd Frankel