Intro
Over the course of my time as a Freestyle student, I’ve been able to improve on my pre-existing artistic and creative abilities, as well as learn new digital media techniques and skills. Throughout these past two years, I’ve created a lot of work I’ve been proud of in all three of my Freestyle classes, as well as outside of Freestyle.
Animation
I’m proud of a lot of the work I’ve completed in animation over these two years. I went in as someone who was comfortable with illustrating, but didn’t know much about the actual mechanics of animation. Learning about the rules and basics of 2D animation in Junior year was incredibly helpful, and I think I was able to produce some really great work. The switch to 3D modeling and rigging in Senior year was admittedly difficult for me, as I’m not the most technologically savvy person out there, so it took a while for me to adjust to sculpting a character in a 3D space as opposed to sketching them out on paper like I’m used to. Ultimately though, I’m extremely happy with the work I did this year, particularly on my character design for my 3D model. I think it came out really cute, and I’m very proud of myself for continuing to try and work through a medium that was initially challenging for me.
Overall, I can probably narrow down my personal favorite projects to my Explorations Rotoscope animation, my 3D model render, and my Zenith animation.
Digital Media
Going into Freestyle, Digital Media felt like the most intimidating class for me. I felt confident in both my artistic and English abilities, but technology has always been something I’ve found extremely difficult to navigate, which is not exactly convenient for someone growing up in Silicon Valley. After these past two years of Digital Media, I can now say that, although my digital literacy skills are no where near perfect and I still have a lot to learn, technology is no longer something that intimidates me. I now have the skills to utilize technology to my advantage in creating new and innovative art, and I’m extremely grateful for that.
My favorite projects in Digital Media were the ones where I really got to let loose, and use the skills we had learned in different applications to create our own art. Specifically, I’m really proud of my Photoshop pastel painting, my mandala design, and my Multilayer art.
English
Unlike Digital Media, English was the class I felt most confident in going in to Freestyle. English has always been one of my favorite subjects at school, so I was extremely excited about taking the course at Freestyle. Even with my confidence and passion for writing, Freestyle English has challenged me and made me think about writing and literature in innovative and unique ways. I think I’m leaving Freestyle English with a stronger perspective of my voice as a writer, and what I want to bring to the table with my writing. I’m really thankful I got this chance to have a class as enriching as Freestyle English!
All of my Freestyle writing projects hold a special place in my heart, but I’m particularly proud of my free verse poem, my profile article, and my narrative treatment.