It’s fine. Whatever happens is meant to happen. Nothing more, nothing less.
East Quad, 2:00PM, 1/11/2024
we are in charge of our fates in a perverse kind of way, in that we circle the inevitable like a marble in a funnel. it is easy to do what is easy, to let gravity take control, to appease the vultures that accompany death, to look back and say that it was going to happen anyway. we only resign ourselves to fate when staring at failure–would we ever attribute our success to the stars? the sky clears and for a moment the earth is sprinkled with starlight: a reminder of magnitudes, of multitudes. nothing more, nothing less.
I don’t know if I can watch a show and go, “that was in the book! That wasn’t in the book!”
EECS Building, 11:30AM, 1/30/2024
i tell myself i would watch an infinite number of realities with you but we both know that’s not true. it is impossible to write a future identical to the book in the same way it is impossible to direct a life identical to a movie. you tell me about your life and i hear you but i don’t listen. shuffle the deck. the tarot reader looks up and then looks away. perhaps she sees everything and perhaps she sees nothing at all. you can always tell when a chapter is about to end. who is to blame, an unreliable narrator or an unforgiving audience?
You’re going to be polite and smile, and let it roll off your shoulders, because that’s life. That’s just how the world works.
Crisler Center Lot SC-5, 2:30PM, 2/23/2024
the rain is black, heavy, foreboding. the magazine betrays a tragic parlance and you stop reading in between the lines because they blur into a single sentence. i turn the page and point to the cartoons, figures distorted from the damp ink. the uncertainty is memorable. i crawl through a tunnel of nostalgia, the sapphires, the jade, the rubies. my heart races from the effort of keeping up. the tunnel ends and i turn back but there is just a pinprick of flame, snuffed out by the rain before i can blink.
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the vibrant world of emerging art at the Stamps MFA Exhibition. Today, I’m excited to share my experience with you and encourage everyone to visit this remarkable showcase of talent and creativity.
The exhibition is a dynamic fusion of various art forms, ranging from interactive installations to traditional paintings, thought-provoking video art, and intricate sculptures. Each piece, unique in its expression, offers a glimpse into the future of contemporary art through the eyes of talented MFA candidates.
One of the most captivating aspects of the exhibition is the interactive pieces. Engaging with these works, I felt a direct connection to the artists’ intentions, blurring the lines between observer and participant. It’s a rare treat to not only view art but to become part of its narrative and execution.
The paintings, each telling its own story, showcased an array of techniques and styles that highlighted the diversity of the artists’ backgrounds and perspectives. From abstract compositions that play with color and form to detailed portraits that capture the essence of human emotion, the variety was both refreshing and inspiring.
Video art and sculptures were also prominently featured, offering a multidimensional exploration of themes ranging from personal identity to societal commentary. The video installations, with their moving images and sound, created immersive environments that provoked thought and evoked emotion. Meanwhile, the sculptures, ranging from the delicately crafted to the boldly abstract, demonstrated the physicality of art in space, inviting viewers to engage with them from multiple angles.
This exhibition is not just a display of art; it’s a celebration of innovation, creativity, and the endless possibilities within the art world. Running until April 13th, there’s still time to experience this eclectic mix of art forms.
I wholeheartedly recommend visiting the Stamps MFA Exhibition. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or simply looking for an inspiring outing, this exhibition promises a rich tapestry of experiences that will leave you contemplating long after you leave. So, mark your calendars, and don’t miss the chance to support these talented artists and immerse yourself in their world.
Good Evening Everyone! I hope that you are all doing well! I am very excited to share today’s blog post with you all. This is a project that is very close to my heart and something that I have been working on for almost a year now!
As some of you may know, I am pursuing a career in medicine with the goal of becoming a surgeon. For a long time, I have been searching for ways to integrate my love and passion for art with my commitment to medicine. In December 2022, I had the good fortune of being hired as a Medical Illustrator. In May 2023, I was asked to be the Creative Design Director for a UCLA-based non-profit organization called Pages for Pediatrics and help establish its first chapter at the University of Michigan.
Pages for Pediatrics aims to write and illustrate children’s storybooks working to normalize patient adversity, advocate for disability representation, and combat stigma towards pediatric conditions in the broader community. To help alleviate patient anxiety, we center children’s storybooks around characters that pediatric patients can relate to as a means of instilling hope, comfort, and solidarity. In order to ensure that every patient has unhindered access to our therapeutic stories, we raise funds to cover the production and distribution of our books so we can donate copies to pediatric patients at C.S. Mott’s Children’s Hospital and others nationwide. This is a dream opportunity for me and something that I am so priveleged to be a part of.
I am very excited to announce that our first book, Leela’s Braids, is set to be published in mid-April!! I helped to write this book centered on Alopecia areata and fully illustrated it myself! This has been an incredible project for me and one that I am very proud to share with you all.
This would make for a wonderful gift for any little ones and family that you may have. I truly appreciate all of you who have continued to read my posts over the past four years. With my time at U of M coming close to an end, I am so priveleged to leave this project behind.
I look forward to sharing more of the book with you all in the coming weeks leading up to its release. Until then, please feel free to reach out to me or comment if you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts! If you would like to see my work, please feel free to check out my website and follow me on Instagram.
Oh what bundles of joy we were this past week! Maybe joy is thinking too positively, but bundles yes we were. COLD!! With a capital C-O-L-D is all I, and the rest of Ann Arbor, felt all day every day. Some glimpses of the sun poked through here and there, thankfully, but I almost gave into excavating my winter jacket from the depths of storage. No dice, however! I couldn’t do it in fear of manifesting even MORE snow than we already had.
This week, I was all ears! A fun fact about me is that I way too often listen to YouTube video essays on my commutes across campus. This is due to falling in and out of listening to music hardcore and thoroughly, mostly because I suffer intensely from favorite song burnout. This week, though, I’ve felt a huge draw back to my tune-bumping roots. Because of this, I came to realize how 3 of my favorite artists (as above) all have bird-related names. As an angsty tweenager, I felt extremely drawn to birds, all colors and kinds, as a symbol in my artwork. Visual symbolism is my JAM (no pun intended). They represented the worldly freedom of mind and body so I longed to have as a kid cooped up with her younger sisters much of the time. In my musical realizations this week, I’ve been able to reconnect with that version of myself and reflect on where I was then and where I am now. I have so much freedom to explore, learn, and create now while here in college and I am so thankful for that everyday. I wish I could show my younger self this adventure we’re on and to tell her to slow down her internal rebellion and enjoy the world as it was back then. Although I can’t time-travel and break all laws of science, I hope the pieces of her that are still in me have been able to appreciate all of the craziness and joy we’re experiencing in our new freedom together.
TL;DR: Listen to music, indulge your inner child, and appreciate the birds in our lives. We all need love for ourselves in all versions, forms, and ages we exist in.
To take us into our next week:
Ins: Choppy layers, the Hex Girls (always!), tasteful caricature drawings, wolf t-shirts, gossiping in UMMA, the color amber, a healthy ratio of normal socks to crazy socks.
Outs: Ice cream when Mojo is freezing, not cleaning your water bottle (do it!), a rigid 5 year plan, letting your jealousy fester, a bedtime of 2am.
A very cold, but happy Spring Equinox and here’s to all the birds frolicking amongst the snow and playing wonderful songs across our eternal pathways.
After Party
loud party tight room shouting voices bright lights
the breeze brings me out into the o p e n air
running
walking
strolling
floating
breathing
being
