In a recent literature classes, my professor offered, “In order to be interesting and catch other people’s attention, you need to be interested. Then, you’ll be interesting to talk about”. During that class, I learned both to push my boundaries and to read myself. And, as a person who fascinated with communication design, I find myself most happy, special, and comfortable when I’m making art and communicating with the people of the world, including myself, through images.

 

My professor’s words underscored for me the importance of defining art and analyzing the role art plays in our daily lives. And I promised to never stop challenging myself and looking closer at ordinary things I often took for granted to explore the greater values these commonplace things yield under examination.

 

One of my favorite, most inspirational places in Saint Louis, the Gateway Arch, is rich with people, environment, and conversations. This 630 foot iconic monument, symbolizing the westward expansion of the United States, attracts a vortex of small stories of the happiness that often comes from little, sometimes overlooked things in life. It is these stories fluttering around the Gateway Arch that encourage me to record and interpret.