Research Brainstorming

Groups of People:

Coworkers- Restaurant (The Summit)

BFA Students- The Studio

Roommates- Home

Friends- Out to dinner or lunch/ Bars

Family (mostly my sister and brother-in-law)- Dinner/ Bars

Interests:

Iowan Landscape (or the landscape in general)

Religion

Effects of art on students

Non-for-profits

Myself as an artist

Art Therapy

The Archive

Ceramics

Abstract Expressionism

At-risk students

Celiac Disease

Atmospheric Kilns

Making sense of the world:

Shower- A hot shower always calms me down due to no distractions and my mind wondering. It is me and my thoughts.

Talking to myself in the car- My mind works through thoughts or different dreams that I have about myself or the future. This works because I am able to say my thoughts freely out loud to make sense of everything or understand how ridiculous I sound.

Hand-building/ Throwing on the wheel- This is a huge stress relief when I can go into my own world and forget about troubles or distractions. I get set into a state of flow where I am completely focused.

Lists- I make lists to remember and let my mind relax at night or throughout the day. With this I am able to manage my time and try to get my priorities straight.

Daydream:

In my future I see myself creating an after-school program where I have the freedom to teach courses and programs with just the students in mind and their interests. Along with that I would really like to continue my education as an artist by attending residences and graduate school to really focus on my art and myself as an artist. I enjoy getting lost in my art and do not want to lose that part of me. One thing that I find frustrating about what I would like to do is the stress of funding such a program. My audience is first potential grad schools and their faculty. My long term audience is parents or students themselves who have an interest in art. I want to communicate to them through my talents and goals for the future. I want, especially with my students, to form a bond of trust and openness when in a studio and for it to be an atmosphere of equals. The reason I am so connected to being an artist and an educator is without creating art I would be lost in my day. I can't imagine not working with clay everyday. The other reason is that it is troubling to me that students either do not get the opportunity to explore art or get a small amount of it. Everyone has a talent I just feel like they get hindered or shut off at some point in time. I want to bring a voice inside of a young adult alive and let them explore and understand themselves through their art.