A Student’s Point of View: Moving Forward not Backwards
Emily SuDock has been the RIT Photo student blogger for this academic year. In this her last post for the year, she shares some personal thoughts about her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to thank Emily for a job well done. She produced fifteen posts this year and we look forward to reading “A Student’s Point of View” next academic year.
I believe RIT Photo Students did their best to make the most out of being quarantined during this semester! In the last 8 weeks, I’ve felt down, hopeful, and most of all inspired, towards the end of this semester. I want to repeat what I shared in my last blog that still holds true today. Even if you can’t control all of your circumstances, you can control specific components of those circumstances. That’s the amazing part of being a part of the College of Art and Design community as a photography student. Being part of CAD has endless creative possibilities. I think about that often. It’s a privilege to do something we love and going to college with the hopes and dreams of achieving a career doing something that you are passionate about. Following your dreams can come with challenges and like COVID-19, we will all face challenges alone and together. No one said it was going to be easy, but we can do this.
Throughout this semester, I admired so many teachers and student’s creativity and wanted to share what I discussed with two talented members of the RIT Photo community. I hope they inspire you and spark your own creativity!
Jaime Huynh a junior advertising photography student. I follow Jaime’s photography account on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/jaimepluscamera/?hl=en, and was drawn to her creativity. Jaime recently used a washing machine as a location. Who would have thought a washing machine would be a dope location! Other artists on social media inspired Jaime on Instagram and Tik Tok, It was Tik Tok that sparked the washing machine photo ideas!
Jaime advises “Trust the process and don’t beat yourself up for scrolling through your phone all day. I bet you might be surprised at how much inspiration you can find seeing what other people are experiencing and taking pictures of”.
Being surrounded by her family has made her feel fortunate and creative. Jaime captured meals with her family that she’ll remember forever. Reflecting on her classes gave her the opportunity to rework past assignments for her to see how much she has grown. It gave her the ability to experiment because “there was nothing to lose”. One last piece of advice she mentioned that stuck out was, “Sometimes all that you need is what is right in front of you. While sticking to the basics, you have to remember that nothing is off-limits right now”.
Carole Woodlock is a professor in Fine Art photography and is currently my teacher. Working with her has been a 100% positive experience. I highly recommend taking PHAR 201, her Elements of Fine Art Photography class.
Carole is inspired by the enthusiasm and motivation of her students. Carole created her Instagram account to share, https://www.instagram.com/artistwalking/?hl=en, a series where she took photographs while walking. She has been planning this project for a trip to Ireland in June/July but since the trip was canceled, she chose to continue the project with a different spin.
Carole has collected a few quotes recently that inspired her and she offered them in the hopes they will inspire you.
“Art does not reproduce what we see. It makes us see” – Paul Klee.
“Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness.” – Anni Albers.
Personal advice Carole shared was to “Stay creative by immersing yourself in something that fuels your inner life but also stretches your ideas and knowledge. Look to the periphery, not only straight ahead.”
Carole always strives to inspire and motivate her students with constant feedback and awesome quotes! Being quarantined has taught Carole that it is your perspective on how you choose to look at things that makes a BIG difference. She stated “As I am wrapping up teaching, I’m approaching this “new” normal as if I’m at an artist residency. Instead of focusing on what is missing, I am seeing what I have, and what I can discover during this new time. I am a glass-half-full kind of person”.
More links that Carole shared to stay creative! I am so thankful for her rich information and love to share attitude.
Part of Yale MFA Photo’s Pop-up Q&A series via zoom, which started in response to online learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTIlncBM_Yg&list=PLlAOLJLSY5DNsaFyxWTjXd3ZiAyd70ZLS
Coursera—check out all the MOMA courses!! https://www.coursera.org/browse/arts-and-humanities/music-and-art
Take a Virtual Tour of New York’s Museum District
THE ARTIST PROJECT from the Met. Check out this one to get started: http://artistproject.metmuseum.org/1/john-baldessari/
End Note:
Seeing what goes behind the scenes for these two amazing ladies about how they stay creative and productive shows how they move forward and not backwards. We can only grow if we try new things, but trying things does not mean it’s going to be perfect or work. It means it will be okay to make mistakes. Those mistakes will make you work stronger and you can learn for next time! It can be uncomfortable, strange, or seemingly impossible. Growth comes from all those things because I believe people want to grow out of un-comfortability.
In closing, Let’s all move forward and show that being in quarantine doesn’t stop creativity. I hope to see you all next fall. Thank you for reading my posts and stay safe!
About Emily
Emily SuDock is a second-year advertising photography student who is also cross-registered in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. I have been hard of hearing most of my life. I was born in China adopted by my loving family. They are a big part of life. I have a Nikon 600 with a 35 mm lens which I love taking portraits with.
