Applying for: MFA, Computer Arts: New Media

I have been a design person for as long as I can remember, and I have always been particularly fascinated with the way information is organized and displayed. In the past, this has led me to get involved in several divergent disciplines, including print publication, web and database design, software engineering, interactive design, illustration, cartooning, 3D modeling and branding. I believe it also helps to explain my lifelong fascination with clocks (which I collect and repair, and build from my own designs), typography and public signage.

I come from a tradition of classical education, having been lucky enough to attend a liberal arts high school that stressed historical contextualization for contemporary issues. I also received four years of wonderful one-on-one training in art and design. I participated in the AP Art program each year, and earned two 4s and two 5s (for 2D design and drawing).

Upon conviction that my success will depend on an understanding of emerging media, I pursued my undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Dallas in Arts and Technology, which offered a presentation of several frontiers in art and design disciplines. Unfortunately, while I liked the program, its concentration (video game development) held little interest for me.

So I invested in heavy extracurricular work for exposure to alternative forms of conventional and new media. For The Mercury, UT Dallas’ student newspaper, I helped with branding, redesigned the website, contributed illustrations, cartoons, stories and layouts, and served as Managing Editor. I made similar contributions to the alternative student publication A Modest Proposal, for which I serve as an editor. My current pet project is the university radio station, whose website I am expanding into an interactive destination for information, discussion and commentary on the music we play.

I am very excited about the prospect of studying in the Computer Arts: New Media program at your institution. The aesthetics of typography and traditional print design fascinate me, and so I love to study how these disciplines' venerable principles are being reinterpreted on new platforms such as the Internet and the mobile space. The new possibilities inherent in these platforms also mean new responsibility for the designer, as considerations of many other disciplines — animation and motion to convey meaning, user interface design to facilitate communication - must be taken into account for the media to be effective.

It seems clear to me that the Computer Arts: New Media program offers great insight into these issues and stands on the edge of paradigm shifts in new media development, and I very much want to be a part of this. Having toured the gallery of current student work, I feel strongly that the requirements of this program closely match the aesthetic sensibilities, interests, and skills I already have.

I also admire the Academy's practice of supplementing core study with education in business. This stands in contrast to the more fine art-oriented, isolated approaches of other schools to which I've applied, and as I intend to leverage my skills in the marketplace, and perhaps eventually start or own a business, this holistic educational philosophy appeals to me very much.

While it isn’t specific to the Academy of Art University, I also cannot understate the appeal of studying, living and working in San Francisco. Given my intent, I believe career opportunities for me are strongest there, and I know it will also be reflected in the quality of education I would receive at the Academy.

While I have not yet outlined a career path for myself — a source of some anxiety — I feel confident that the Computer Arts: New Media program will polarize me toward a successful one or empower me to forge a new one. To this end, I very much look forward to the opportunity of studying at the Academy of Art University.