Interview with the artist: Addison
Post by Marian McLaughlin
All Social Studio experiences are designed using the Creative Process Framework™ promoting growth in confidence, communication of ideas, and art-making skills through 6 phases: Explore, Engage, Express, Expand, Exchange & Empower. Social Studio believes commitment to your creative process cultivates empathy and connection. Read the interview below to see what the process does for the artist interviewed!
Addison has been a part of Social Studio’s afterschool program since she was in first grade, although her first experience was summer camp as a kindergartener! Addison has taken classes in Studio737 and is currently a third grader enrolled in Process Art in Studio739 and 3M (Mixed Media Modules) at the ArtBar. While we looked through her portfolio, she reflected on her time at Social Studio and talked about how the Creative Process Framework™ has supported her with creative problem solving, idea development, and project presentation.
EXPLORE:
What is your favorite art form and why?
I like painting. In this picture I was painting with my best friend. l love spending time with them, especially if it has something to do with art.
ENGAGE:
What art materials bring you the most joy?
I like black paper, paint pens and gel pens. I don’t use it a lot but I’d like to. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up but if I end up being an artist, I’d like to create my own art form and that would be black paper with white paint pen and you can draw anything but it has to be outlined with gel pens.
Are there any art materials that are tricky or challenging for you?
I don’t like glue when it gets on my hands. If I’m making slime that’s a bit different. Also I don’t like ink that much because if you mess up you can’t go back because it’s real ink. You can’t really cross it out, it’ll expand on your paper and your paper will turn black. We’re going to use ink soon. We’re supposed to do zentangles with it. I like my zentangles to not be perfect, but I like them to be at a perfect standard. I try to map what the artist did, I try to reference that.
EXPRESS:
How has repeating a skill helped you with your art or with creative problem solving elsewhere?
With art, doing something over and over again, I try to make it a bit different each time so I don’t get bored.
At school we wear uniforms. I don’t always wear the same thing, I’ll wear skirts or pants.
EXPAND:
Between 3M (Mixed Media Modules) and Process Art, you have worked on a number of multi-step projects. Describe what it was like to work through the individual steps of a bigger project and what the results were.
If I’m doing something with multi-steps, I keep my parents updated on the project. I don’t like that it has to stay at Social Studio but if it’s a multi-step art project I understand. They’re giving us an opportunity to do really good art and sometimes you have to do multi-step things in life, and I think they’re teaching us to do that right now so we don’t have to learn that later.
EXCHANGE:
When did you take a risk at Social Studio?
When I came here today I went to the bathroom right away and missed the whole entire example and it ended up taking my project twenty minutes to do because I rushed. Maybe if I was there I would have understood it.
We learn about other artists at Social Studio. Is there an artist that has inspired you?
Nikki de Saint Phalle is one artist that I liked but the project kept getting on my nerves. This artist did clay sculptures of women. We did that but the clay was air dry clay, it kept cracking, and it got me upset. I liked that they had their own museum and that they speak in a different language. I like that their art included color, I felt like they weren’t afraid of messing up because their sculptures were big.
EMPOWER:
Which phase of the Creative Process Framework do you feel the most connected to?
Today the project took twenty minutes. I wanted to EXPLORE. When I was done with the big main one, I got a little paper and started exploring. That paper had lots of black, blue, purple, and green colors.
