week seven: on art

Things are pressing forward! I’m halfway through the sketches and plan to start rendering by the end of the week. I spent most of my time last week preparing this project for the fall by applying for the Ascent PEAK award. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize until the last second that I can’t apply for more than one PEAK award at a time, and I’ve been simultaneously filling out the application for another research project I’m manning with a partner. Though I wouldn’t have spent so much time on it if I knew this ahead of time, I’m still glad I completed the materials for the application, especially the timetable. Now I have a clear cut idea of how the semester will go for this project!

Speaking of, I’ve been selected to complete my project as a Millennium Fellow! The Millennium Fellowship is a fellowship organized in part by the United Nations, to support young activists and leaders who share the same interests as the UN. This can range from fighting climate change to lowering poverty rates, so on and so forth. The focus of my project, Art&Impact, is around inclusion and dispelling prejudice, with a specific focus on the international LGBTQ+ community. I’ve set up Art&Impact to be a series of fundraising initiatives for this community, with “on courage.” being my second so far. More info on that to come!

So even though this project won’t be supported by URF again this semester, I’ve set this project up so it can smoothly transition into being a Millennium project instead.

Even though so many big things have happened, the highlight of the past week wasn’t any of that. You may have noticed I started a list of the small moments in this blog a few weeks ago. This happened shortly after I watched an episode of My Hero Academia — an anime I hadn’t touched in years. In the following weeks, I would continue to be inspired, uplifted, and held by art. It’s usually animation or music — two mediums that often yield the most immersive, personal experiences for me.

One moment that struck me was how comforted I felt as I added more and more black artists to my Spotify playlist. As if consuming the art of the Black community made up for the lack of community I was feeling, working alone in my room. The suggested connection between art and community wasn’t lost on me: the humanity in music and the humanity in social interactions seem to spark the same sense of joy and comfort.

Another moment: this morning, I rewatched the season finale of my favorite anime, Blood Blockade Battlefront. Despite what the name suggests, the ending, just like a number of moments throughout the show, was really heartfelt. The protagonist’s last line is such:

“I’ll tell you my story, and the story of the people in my life… and how they’ve given me hope.”

There’s so much context behind that line that gives it a deeper meaning, but even without it, the connections between art, community, and hope, each separate modes of empowerment that simultaneously uplift each other when combined, have been weighing on my mind.

I feel like there’s a revelation I’ve yet to have, about the true nature of these virtues and how they relate back to my work. The pieces are all here; they just need to be rearranged.

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Goal for the week: I did some final research in order to fill the gaps in my outline this week. I am still regularly triggered by it, and it took me several days to get through just a few articles. I’m not really sure what to do about it. Though this project is very much an artistic endeavor, it all comes back to the story I’m trying to tell, which is unfortunately a triggering one. Usually my goals for the week are ones that are somewhat easily attainable, but I’m honestly not sure where to go with this issue. However, I care deeply about humanitarian issues, and if I want to make this a career, I need to find a sustainable way to digest the content. Hopefully me speaking that request into the universe will get me on the right track towards that milestone.

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Final side note: My mentor is leaving Northeastern!! This is equally tragic as it is super exciting. She’s the first person to read these blog posts so I just wanted to say here:

Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and the NU community, Michelle. I know I’ve said that at least a thousand times since we met, but it’ll take a thousand more before my gratitude is fully expressed. You are truly an OG in my career, and I’ll always remember you as so. (I don’t know why this sounds like goodbye, when we’re going to continue to be in close contact this fall, but the point stands) Wishing the best, for the best!

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SM