3 February 2012, 2:55 am
This is my application essay for Columbia College Chicago Here is the prompt: Risk-taking is a part of the creative process. To break new ground or to veer in a new direction requires a certain blend of courage and 'blind faith', a hopeful confidence that your message will be heard and understood, and - most importantly - valued by others. Many successful artists, musicians, performers, writers, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, producers, etc., take creative risks to move their art form forward, and, while many risks have proved successful (maybe even revolutionary), it's also true that just as many have flopped. Whether exploring a new idea or form, proposing a show, writing a grant proposal, or presenting their work to the public, the greatest artists have faced rejection and were forced to find ways to persevere. Big or small, tell us about a time in your creative or artistic life when you were criticized for your creative decisions or told 'no'. Did you abandon your new idea? Refine your new idea? Or did you reject the criticism and proceed full speed ahead? Tell us about your thought process during this time. Do you regret not following through on your idea or are you now grateful you didn't go out on such as precarious limb? How do you think the criticism or denial affected the further development of your creative work? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Here is my essay: I moved to Los Angeles my freshman year of high school from a small town in northern California. I pleaded and begged my mother to not move, because I had my friends and everything I thought I needed there. And still to this day, I don’t know what changed me after that time period of moving. I started my freshman year, and quickly found myself in a place I never wanted to be in. But right before second semester, I changed something about my schedule.. I joined choir. I had always secretly loved singing, but always too afraid to let anyone listen. By joining choir, I thought I would be able to sing without anyone hearing my voice amongst the other singers. That was not the case though, because on the first day of class he took me to the back room to check my range. After finishing and having a perceived look on his face, he brought me in the front of the class to perform the scales again. My grades continued to drop, and I remained feeling lost and fragile as the next year came along. The only class that remained a consistent A was choir, because I had never felt the challenge in wanting to be great at something. I wanted to be extraordinary in my choral group, but I wasn’t. And I think what made me strive so much is that my voice is very personal to me. Having to perform daily and individually in front of other girls who sang exceptionally well, made me put tons of time and work into practicing. I found my voice through choir. I found what I loved doing more than anything. And I experienced rejection constantly. I was denied a solo every single time I auditioned for four years. I was even given the part, then days before the performance told someone else would be singing my solo. There were days I wanted to give up, because I felt hopeless and not good enough for the one thing I loved most. For four years I pushed to be the star in my choir teacher’s eyes, and never succeeded. I worked myself up so hard that something was bound to go wrong. I listened to the criticism and kept pushing for excellence, and though I achieved greatness I didn’t think so at the time. I will always be unregretful with at least trying every time I had the opportunity to sing. It wasn’t just choir for me, it shaped me into becoming a happier person. As my high school years went on, my grades showed quite the improvement. My future has been brightened by art and will always involve singing and music. I hope to continue my musical journey with Columbia College Chicago, and prove to myself, my family, and anyone else you should follow what you love because you will perseveringly have battles and criticism saying that you’re not good enough.... Read More »
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