design
introduction
To close out my junior year at Freestyle, we dove into the Explorations unit—a refreshing change of pace that gave us nearly complete creative control. Unlike earlier projects with more structure, this one was wide open, which was both exciting and a little intimidating. At first, I struggled to figure out what I wanted to focus on, but ultimately, I found the freedom empowering and appreciated the chance to pursue something entirely my own.
process
Since this project allowed me to have complete freedom over what I chose to create, it took a lot of brainstorming to come up with a final idea. I ended up landing on a spray paint artwork. The reason I chose this is because I’ve always wanted to experiment with the media, and I’ve always thought it would be a super fun art form, as it is very fast paced and visually interesting to watch. I immediately knew I wanted to spray paint some type of sunset, but I didn’t know what else. Because I wanted to challenge myself, and I felt that just a sunset would be too easy, I decided on spray painting a scene of the Golden Gate Bridge. I chose the Golden Gate Bridge because not only do I think it is extremely beautiful and important, but it’s also so close to me and will always be a staple of my childhood.
The process begun with buying a masonite board off of Amazon, which is a wood material used as a canvas. I then used white acrylic paint to prime the whole thing and made a few sketches in my notebook, which led to one final rough draft of a sketch on a relatively big piece of card stock pape. The paper was a similar size to the masonite board I worked on. When this sketch was finished, I then reapplied it to the actual board itself, then started spray painting.
Because I had to work on campus, but freestyle campus is mostly made up of concrete, I had to improvise and walk to Mountain View high school’s softball field. This is so that I could spray paint on grass and not risk permanently making any unwanted artwork on the school ground. I quickly figured out when I started to spray paint that it was extremely messy, and the wind was making dirt and grass fly onto my wet artwork. This was definitely a pain, but I like to think of it as an artistic touch.
Eventually, I felt that there was nothing else I could do with the spray paint, as I wasn’t able to create any sort of small details that I would need to make the bridge. So then I begun going in with acrylic paint and painting over parts of the sky, as well as the reflection on the ocean, and eventually the highlights on the mountains. Once the whole background was painted, and I felt everything looked right, I finally added the bridge and finished up my piece, and I’m super super pleased with how it turned out!
final product
reflection
Overall, this was definitely one of my favorite porjects of the year, purely based on how much frredom and room you have for creative expression and the fact that it gives you such a perfect opportunity to get better or develop a skill you haven’t tried before or aren’t confident about. This unit made me remember the value of trying new things!
english and digital media
introduction
In Digital Media, we got the unique opportunity to experiment with music production in the studio. For this project, I partnered with my friend Emma, and we decided early on that we wanted to focus on vocals instead of using instruments. After some discussion, we landed on Sweet Caroline—a song we both love and felt excited to perform. We found a backing track online to use as our instrumental, which gave us the foundation we needed to start recording. Once everything was set, we stepped into the studio to bring our version of the song to life.
process
Recording in the music studio was definitely the highlight of this project for me! I had never used the studio before, so getting to experience it for the first time was really exciting. Before we began, Mr. Florendo helped us set up the microphones and adjust the audio levels in our headphones. Once everything was ready, Emma and I ran through the song a few times to warm up. By our third take, we had it down and were able to sing it smoothly with only a few small mistakes. The whole process was so much fun, and I loved getting to work in the studio with Emma and Mr. Florendo.
After finishing our recording session, it was time to move on to editing our track. Using Pro Tools, Emma and I adjusted the levels of both our vocals and the background music to make sure everything sounded balanced. We also played around with the audio panning—Emma’s voice was set to come from the left speaker and mine from the right, which gave the song a cool, dynamic effect. To enhance the overall sound, we added a bit of reverb to smooth out our vocals and make them blend better with the instrumental.
final product
artist statement
Recording in the studio taught us a few valuable lessons or takeaways. First, we discovered how fun it can be to sing and record music with a backing track—especially when you’re doing it with a friend, even if you have no prior experience. We also learned how to adjust key settings and audio levels for our voices, our partners, and even Mr. Flo, and the music track, all with just a few clicks on the control pad in front of us. Most importantly, we realized it’s okay to try something you’re not good at and to share that experience with others. Trying something new is always worth it, and nerves or embarrassment shouldn’t hold you back from giving it a shot.
poetry
introduction
As part of this unit, we were tasked with writing a poem in English. Since poetry is already such an open-ended form, the assignment felt especially freeing—we could write about anything we wanted. What made this unit stand out was the opportunity to learn from a guest poet, Ms. Moore, who led a week-long workshop. Her visit was incredibly valuable; she shared inspiring examples of poetry and guided us through creative exercises that helped spark ideas and shape our writing.
process
For my final poem, I chose a lot more of a pretty negative and heavy theme, as I thought it would be audibly the most interesting. I created this poem after all of the workshops we did with Ms. Moore, pulling inspiration from each of those exercises. My edited poem is actually the exact same as the original poem (first draft), as I didn’t feel like I needed to chang anything to get my meaning across in a beautiful and relatable way. This poem was inspired by the feeling of jealousy, and how such a big emotion can really start to consume a person, mentally and physically. I really enjoyed writing this poem and I loved ending junior year english with this assignment.
final product – “A Green Pill to Swallow”
You’ve robbed me
and eaten my smile
I slid my tongue
on rotten teeth
and tasted your filth
I let you pick
at my skin
and pollute my veins
with acid blood
I felt your cold fingers
reach down my throat
you tied a knot
that lives in my stomach
tonight I’ll feel you
in my bed
behind my eyes