You might say I “crash coursed” my art portfolio in a semester or two—and it was almost all black and white charcoal drawings with one design study. I never thought it would be enough to get me into the Purchase College School of Art.

All the same, Purchase was one of my two first choices. When I came here for my portfolio review, I was really attracted by the feeling of being at an all-around arts school; and I liked the combination of fine arts and design Purchase offered, even though I was totally enthusiastic about design at that point.

BRANCHING OUT

Becoming an actual art student came as a big shock at first. For someone with my science and math background, having to create something out of nothing was really, really tough…emotionally and mentally.

My Art+Design classes gave me a great foundation and helped prepare my “eye.” One of my favorites was Professor Deere’s “Word/Image” class. You either love this one or you hate it. He preaches the idea that design is everywhere around us; it’s not only in the layout or typography. I also gained a lot from Tim Samara. He’s a working designer who knows how to push you without imposing his style on you.

Lately, I’ve been branching out into sculpture classes in wood and metal. That’s what’s so amazing about this school: it is really open to your interests, so when you have an urge to try something new, there are people who are ready to help.

LIGHT IT UP

For my senior project, I’m designing and building room lighting. Yeah, I know…what’s that about?  Well, I’ve always liked making things with my hands. And, some of my friends, who were dancers, got me involved last year in helping with their show. That’s where I got interested in lighting as an aspect of design.

Lighting can make or break a room, and my project gives me a chance to experiment with materials, design, and technology. For example, I hope I’ll be able to build an interactive lighting system using a microcontroller that senses people’s movements. Also, I’ll still be able to apply my design training to the catalogue.

I’m doing a couple of free-lance jobs in the city, too. One involves computer design for a non-profit agency, and the other is for the Gertrude Stein Repertory Theatre. I hope that I’ll be working on a video for one of their plays and get to help them develop their “interface fair,” which will showcase several of the theatre’s artists.

BRING IT TOGETHER

It’s great that White Plains is right down the street, and New York City is only a 30-minute train ride away. Where else would you want to be if you’re interested in design?

I’m always surprised by the what’s happening right here on campus, too. I can slip over to the Student Center, where there’s always a concert or something going on. But I have to admit that I’m just as happy to sit around with my friends and maybe take in a movie.

It took me a little while to realize there’s so much at Purchase that you can literally do whatever you want—take a dance class, get into welding, team up with some musicians—just about anything, in fact.

Here, you can literally bring it all together.