Interview with Ethan

Interview with Ethan

Me: what is your concentration and why did you pick it?

Ethan: My concentration is sculpture.  I originally had intended to major in either illustration or animation, but I found out that Mason Gross has neither of these programs.  At a bit of a loss, i threw myself into my classes to see what would stick, and it turned out to be sculpture!

Me: what kind of things do you like to focus on in your work?

Ethan: In my personal work, I like to tell stories that have emotional impact.  For my sculptural work, i like to try and achieve the same emotional response, but without a story.  I like bright colors and pieces that interact with and directly involve the viewer.

Me: do you have plans for after college? If yes than what are they?

Ethan: After college I intend to attempt to support myself by creating and releasing comics and animations, which I really hope is not too realistic, as it would be nothing short of a dream come true.

Me: what made you start to become an artist?

Ethan: I still remember to this day when I was in 5th grade, I decided to become an artist when I saw classic Walt Disney animations, Steamboat Willie and the like.  I thought to myself, “I wanna do that!”  So I started learning how to draw, and never looked back since.

Me: which artists do you look at for inspiration?

Ethan: My biggest sources of artistic inspiration are Tetsuya Nomura, Yun Koga, and Judy Pfaff.

Me: is there a particular subject you like to deal with the most?

Ethan: I like to deal with issues and feelings that affect me personally.  For example, timidity and social anxieties, love and nostalgia, pure imagination.  For issues, I’d like to do work pertaining to LGBT rights, nonviolence, and matters of civil protest.

Me: are you the only artist in your family?

Ethan: My brother is a musician, but I am the only visual artist in my family.  

 Me: does your family support your art?

Ethan: It was a bit of a struggle to get my father to specifically approve of my going to art school, but as far as being an artist in general goes, I’ve been lucky enough to always have the support of my family.

Me: what is the hardest thing to accomplish when creating your art?

Ethan:For me, the most difficult thing for me to accomplish with my art is to have something that satisfies me while still adhering to the conventions of modern fine art.

Me: what is the best advice you ever got?

Ethan: The best advice I ever got was “Don’t ever try and establish your worth by comparing yourself to someone else.”

Me: what was the worst advice you ever got?

Ethan: I honestly can’t remember the worst advice I’ve ever gotten, just because I tend not to dwell on negativity.

Me: have you ever gotten a really bad critique and thought you were going to get a good one?

Ethan: My first sophomore review went absolutely horribly, and i had no idea what to expect.  I thought it was going to be a fun time during which I could learn something useful.  But in reality, I got torn down so terribly!  I was very sad for a while.

Me: do you take constructive criticism well?

Ethan: I always appreciate constructive criticism, it helps me grow as an artist and a person.

Me: what is the main thing you want to learn in this class?

Ethan: In this class, i want to learn how to be better at the presentation aspect of being an artist, rather than just the artistic techniques themselves.

Me: was there ever a time when you wanted to give up art?

Ethan: A few times in my life, I felt tempted to give up art.  One was because of wrestling with depression, another was after my failed sophomore review, feeling like I’d made no progress at all.  Thankfully I never went through with it!

Me: do you have an idea for thesis?

Ethan: So far I don’t have a cohesive plan for what my thesis will be, but I’m hoping to figure it out very soon!