Big Bite
Konani C.
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I have a large love of learning. Because of my learning style, I do well in classes that are project-based and hands-on. This helped me to thrive in Advanced Drawing and Painting last year and AP Studio Art now, applying familiar techniques to unfamiliar mediums. In Beginning Film Photography this year, I’ve been able to learn an entirely different artistic process, and use my art to document and express the stories around me.
I also love writing, particularly about topics I’m passionate about. I’m very interested in Ethnic Studies and anthropology classes, such as the AAPI Literature class I’m currently taking. Diving into the experiences of other marginalized groups and sharing similar stories is fascinating. Through my college application essays, I’ve been able to combine these topics– many of them are written about the cultural identity of myself and others, how it affects us, and how art ties into it all.
I’ve always enjoyed and excelled in visual arts, especially illustration, collage, painting, multimedia, and most recently, photography. From digital hip-hop album covers to illustrating concepts for a business website, my work commissioned by others addresses a wide range of subject matter. The work I do for myself holds a lot more significance. As a creative, I’ve made it a goal to embrace the unconventional. Through personal pieces, I’ve been able to reflect on my identity– my Asian-American culture, my queerness, my upbringing, and the people I call home, while experimenting with style, composition, and color. I’ve submitted work to magazines and my school newspaper, and had pieces hung in galleries and exhibitions, like Youth Spirit Artworks and Oakland Style Lab.
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By expressing myself to rough visual art, I am able to exercise my technical ability, as well as the creativity and thought processes behind them. I put a lot of my cultural and gender identity in my work, so others can gain an understanding of who I am.
