Erin Kardos

    My goal as both an artist and as a student in high school is to broaden my artistic horizons while also finding new opportunities in the art field. My goal as a photography student is really just to have fun, explore, and awaken myself creatively. Photography class enables me to be free with my work, while some other art classes have more rules and guidelines. I don’t have a strict mindset about photography because although it is very fun and inspiring, it is not something I plan to pursue as a long term career. With that being said, I do plan to continue having photography be a part of my life even though it won’t be my primary focus. My college and career goals are to major in art therapy and hopefully get a job in that field. This career really stood out to me when I first heard about it because it combines two subjects that I am highly interested in: art and psychology. I have a passion for helping people, so what better way to do so than through the arts?

    My art and creativity have many influences but not typically from other famous artists’ ideas. I get inspired by the things, and people, closest to me. My own life challenges and hardships along with my memories are shown in some, if not most, of my work. Also my friends’ stories have huge influences on my artwork. My friends are often the subject of my art, both directly and indirectly, and I love to reveal their lives and stories without being so straightforward about it. One of my biggest influences is my music. I believe that the music a person listens to tells a lot about their own self. Music speaks the emotions that can’t always be expressed otherwise and this definitely influences my art. If I’m not incorporating lyrics into my work, I’m telling the stories of the songs being played over and over in my head. SInce I love music as much as I do, making art that connects to this part of me is very special and important.

    My current work is very experimental. I am willing to try new materials and techniques to explore and create. Academically, I am planning on taking three art classes my final year of high school before moving on to college. These three classes are computer graphics, AP2D, and drawing and painting. Freshman and sophomore year I took ceramics and junior year I took photography and design and illustration. Because the art therapy field uses many different art mediums in their work, the variety of classes I am taking, or have taken, in high school will be very beneficial for me. This year in photography class, my eyes were opened to the endless ideas and possibilities that there are. I learned about things that I didn’t even know existed before, such as the low bulb camera setting. All in all, photography and art in general have really inspired me as both an artist and a person.

~Junior year 2014