What is art? And how does art influence our lives? These are two questions that I kept asking myself as I went through my Web Internship position with Ryman Arts back in 2008. As an alumna of Ryman Arts, I share the experience of being part of an organization that is entirely dedicated to helping youth recognize their artistic talents and succeed in life. One of the goals of Ryman Arts is to keep its alumni involved. Some Ryman Arts alumni have benefited from different job positions and internships that are offered throughout the year. My experience as a Web Intern with Ryman Arts was extraordinary. I helped update its content, created a new slideshow gallery, and added some Flickr galleries as well. I worked with Dream Weaver and Photoshop. It was not only web designing experience that I gained through this internship but also the opportunity to see Ryman Arts’ work behind the scenes. I helped with the installation and de-installation of the 2008 Student Gallery, and other projects. One of the things that I learned was to communicate my plans and ideas with the other interns that I met at the Getty tours. It is surprising to see how sharing your ideas with other people have led other artists to better opportunities. I plan to continue pursuing my careers in Mass Communications and Fine Arts at the University of California, Berkeley. One of my goals is to own my own magazine, and to find a way in which I can be as involved as I can in my two passions art and writing.
As from my own perspective I can say that art exists everywhere. I call art all that allows me to create. One of the things that I like the most about art is to know that there is no limit for creativity. Anything could be an inspiration to an artist; from the saddest night to the most beautiful day. There is one quote that caught my entire attention as I began to surf the Ryman Arts’ website on my first week as a Web Intern. “Be inordinately infatuated with the world, its people, its history and geography. Let your eyes speak to your heart and your heart to your hand,” by Herbert D. Ryman. This quote opened my eyes to a broader view of who I want to become in life. There are so many different ways in which I could describe art in these last sentences but there is just one meaning that I would like to share with you. Art is that connection between your thoughts, your visions, and your heart. I strongly believe that to be an artist one has to be a well-rounded person who knows how to apply art in any situation in life.