Soul Spilling

In an essay of at least 300 words, explain what you expect to accomplish while studying at the Illinois Institute of Art, please be concise...

"To Shine Brighter Than the Stars We Wish Upon"

My soul quivers with excitement as I imagine the experience of attending The Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. I see myself surrounded by peers who are artists, like myself. We are bouncing ideas off each other and working together, as well as alone. I am working long hours and even late in the evening to present my best efforts when assignments are due. I am staying after class time to talk with my instructors, picking their brains and having wonderful discussions. I see myself taking advantage of the social and business opportunities to create a network and contribute to the community within the school and beyond. I am applying for every scholarship and competition I can. I am the student who is known for my hard work, energy, positive attitude, and outgoingness. I am remembered and highly recommended to those seeking the best this institute can offer.

Given the opportunity to attend The Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, I hope to earn a Bachelor's degree in the Media Arts and Animation program. I hope to grow significantly as an artist, an entrepreneur, and a teammate. My employment experiences in customer service and office atmospheres have taught me much about working with others, working hard, and being proud of doing well, regardless of the task at hand. I hope to capitalize on these skills within this institute and continue to build on my character. I want to learn the facets of the media arts and become a versatile artist in the field. In every occupation I've had, my job description has grown beyond its original size because I enjoy doing many different things. I want that advantage as an artist. Above all, I want to hone my skills and talent and land a career in the art field. I hope to prove to myself that I can indeed achieve anything I put my mind to.

I have traveled quite a journey thus far that has proven life to be less than a straight line of events. All of my life, I have been an artist and nothing can change that. Hardships, financial limits and lack of confidence have kept me from pursuing my dreams efficiently. I have settled for community college and university art programs. I have turned away from the arts to pursue more so-called "practical" degrees promising higher income, such as nursing. My Associate of Arts degree has landed jobs that use so little of my artistic abilities and talents, yet they occupy forty hours of my week. After such experiences, I've learned what is practical for me: pursuing my dreams in the art field. I want to be in position to be in a career I can greet with a smile every morning, as well as fall asleep exhausted every night knowing I am not wasting this precious gift. My decision to attend school is no longer an obligation to my parents or what society believes I should do. Now that I have decided to be true to myself and chase down my wildest dreams, motivation and drive are more prominent than ever before.

-Written by yours truly

Toodley Do

Of all the goals I have, I want to be able to follow my to-do list...daily.

THIS is what will achieve almost every goal I have. There are things I need to do in order to bring me closer to what I want, and so I write them down. The next step is to do them. I am not sure what it is that slows me down. Intimidation? I try to deal with my list one item at a time. I even wrote each item on its own card so that I could pick certain ones out of the stack and just see those instead of the whole list at once. So, I’ve solved that…but I think maybe my mind is not fooled. After I choose what I am to do that day, I begin wondering if I should change my mind. I am my worse enemy, I swear. I don’t think it matters what I choose to do on my to-do list each day. Everything I finish is worth doing and takes me closer to something I want. So, just…do SOMETHING. Argh. Ok, so on that note, I have the day off work today so I am going to do what I can, no matter how unpleasant the tasks seem. I’ll be glad at the end of today if I accomplish even little things because little things add up to BIG things (and I like accomplishing big things.) I can do this!