Lara from Philadelphia is trying her hand at a new style of writing this summer — and is seeking inspiration for her screenwriting course at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary gallery during an EXPLO weekend trip.
The first time I came to The Met was when I was really young and I couldn't remember a lot of it. I'm really excited to come back now, so I can see all the art — and now that I'm older I can appreciate it! The gallery I spent the most time in today was the Modern and Contemporary Art wing. I went through all three floors and I really enjoyed it. I also visited the special collection, "Heavenly Bodies," which is about fashion, and I saw some Asian art and Egyptian art.
Modern and contemporary art is my favorite. But the genre I really like is Impressionism (even though it's not really modern). I like it because it's more expressive and creative and definitely more abstract. It's taking a concept that's hard to convey and putting it into colors, shapes, and forms. It gives you something to think about. It's really inspiring and I'm always looking for inspiration for writing. Modern art is also a great source for that — it's just so weird and so up to interpretation.
I'm taking Writing for Stage and Screen at EXPLO. I really like it! I was a little nervous at the beginning because most of the writing I do was for my school literary magazine. I write poetry and short stories. But I want to try something new. I've never done screenwriting before and it's a totally new factor — you have to think about what it looks like onscreen or on-stage. It's a completely new way of thinking and it's really cool to write and think in that way!
Sige Zheng