I feel that my aesthetics have also evolved past simple ideas of interesting-looking technical elements and beautiful paintings. I find myself more and more drawn to unrefined and visually challenging art, in the sense that I am more interested now in art that makes one go “is this even good?”. For instance, in my photography, I want to emphasize an idea of romanticizing mundane life, so I take pictures of what’s in the world immediately surrounding me, whether that be someone’s car, interesting angles of buildings, or an animal I see on my walk. While some may deem this unimportant, that type of art means a lot to me, and aesthetically has become more appealing, because it is very real and true to who I am and the phase of life I’m in. I’m likely drawn to it because moving out on my own has forced me to be both more observant and more self-motivated in finding my own way around the world, and I think that experience is impactful.

Perhaps the most gratifying experiences of collaboration I have had thus far was our final project in this class. While I still had reservations about the outcome, since I’m still trying to kick the idea that a project is going to be easier if I just do it alone, I was so pleased with how it came out. Maybe the most satisfying aspect of the process was the fact that we were all passionate about the finished product and invested with it turning out good. We spent our class time, as well as outside rehearsal time, effectively, and we each had the chance to create aspects of the piece we enjoyed, and overall, it was an awesome cooperative process because we all had open minds and were passionate.

Throughout my experience in the Performance as Collaborative Practice class, as well as moving more towards creating professional theatre, I have been able to more clearly define my artistic voice. In the past, I’ve made a habit of putting myself in small, labeled boxes like “painter” or “stage manager” because I found what I was good at and stuck with it until I was great. I’ve always done this; I was very young when I started drawing, and found that I was just good enough at it to garner praise, which motivated me to pursue it as my main focus. However, I’ve been finding that labelling myself and not branching out feels restricting. Throughout the different modules within PCP, as well as exploring a more vibrant art scene in Austin, I’ve found myself drawn to practices I hadn’t been interested in before. I’ve taken up photography, ventured into new mediums I have never tried, and redefined what “theatre” means for myself.

While I have ventured away from viewing theatre and art in a more traditional way, I still find myself drawn to some artistic practices more than others. I continue to not love dancing and movement for myself, which has carried throughout my many years of dance lessons my mom forced me to go to, but have found myself enjoying it more as a director or audience member. I continue to love costume design, and I’ve known I loved it for years. My perspectives continue to change, though. In the past, I haven’t enjoyed photography in the way that I do now, primarily because I have only recently been finding inspiring photographers like Rachel Karls and Natalie Perez. Now I’m invested in photography to the point where I want to pursue it as a side gig and I gain a lot of artistic satisfaction from it. 

Overall, my first two semesters in college (as well as in Austin) have made me grow enormously as an artist. Despite the fact that, in the past, I have been someone who tends to hyper-specialize in what I’m good at, I have found myself wanting to enjoy art in a more diversified and personal way. I’m excited and hopeful for my artistic future. 
https://instagram.com/natperezphoto?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://instagram.com/raykphotos?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=