Art Portfolio by
Jenny Yoo 

The artist in me lay dormant, even though I had drawn and done origami and other art projects as a child and had received my father’s artistic genes. It was my freshman art teacher who awoke the artist in me, who trained me and encouraged me to create art that expressed my true self. I became enamored of the fact that I could create something original, unique, and different from whatever anyone else was creating by making use of my personal experiences. I enjoy drawing from my life experiences that are related to the chosen theme. One of my works, “Identity Burst”, shows several portraits of myself distressed by all the responsibilities placed on me as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents and their expectations for vicariously achieving the “American Dream” through me. From studying first thing in the morning while wolfing down breakfast to studying late into the night, I felt compelled to ceaselessly labor to meet academic demands but with precious little time. To show the lifelessness I wanted to project, I figured to make it black and white with pencil. After I finished hatching multiple layers and adding all the details, I reflected on the process and thought about whether I could make any improvements. 
Through post-secondary education, I wish to learn greater technical and theoretical skills to answer that question that I pose to myself at the end of my creative process and equip me to produce artwork that showcase both my artistic and philosophical sides. I want to create and exhibit artwork that non-artists would feel encouraged by. To create such an exhibit, I hope to learn through my selected college how to use all different mediums, gain greater knowledge of contemporary artists and art movements, engage in critical thinking and exploration of new ideas and research, and gain professional experience exhibiting my work in student shows. Although I’ve done a number of paintings and drawings, I haven’t had much experience with sculpture and photography, so I look forward to learning both in college as sculpture will bring my 2D ideas to life and good photography skills will enhance my visualization and composition skills in art. As I pursue such projects, being able to interact with renowned faculty, other talented artists, and professionals in the art field will open my eyes to new perspectives I can utilize in my artwork. 
I am also committed to giving back to the community and fostering creativity, especially in young artists, through art outreach opportunities. I wish to pursue an art program that will help me produce art that will impact the world, be innovative and personal, and shape me into an artist like no other.