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RS: Is it true you're Stonehill class of 2013's only Art major? If so, how does that feel, and what kind of studio arts do you dabble in?
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| Kat Waterman, class of 2013 |
KW: It is true, I am the only Studio Art major. I feel kind of happy and sad about this: I feel happy because I get to have more freedom to experiment in my own major, but I feel sad because I don't get to converse about my experiences with someone who understands what I am going through during my senior year. Unfortunately I haven't really been dabbling in much "studio" art stuff, I have mostly been honing my photography and graphic design skills to become more marketable in the business art world after college life.
RS: You've been on your photography grind lately. Talk a little bit about what projects you've been up to with your camera lately.
KW: The projects that have been testing my photography skills are really fun actually. I've been busy with my directed study photography project that supports the LGBTQ community (which you participated in, thank you again!). And for my graphic design projects, I have been using my studio arts creativity to form interesting compositions to photograph and then I include them in my projects. I just recently designed and finished a fake magazine and had to use my photography skills to create fake ads and a fake band photo shoot. It's really fun and great to say that all the photos in my projects are mine.
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| Waterman's interpretation of food photography |
RS: What got you into drawing, painting, graphic design, and photography? And what geared you toward being an Art major?
KW: I have been a creative being for pretty much my entire life..haha. I've always been a visual learner and my parents encouraged my skills throughout my schooling and it just became a part of who I was. I think high school REALLY helped me discover my true passion for art though, because my high school had an academic program for the visual art students and my art teachers nurtured my growing love for art.
RS: How do you plan to translate your art skills into your post grad life? What opportunities are you looking forward to after graduation?
KW: Now that is the trick isn't it.....marketing your skills to sustain yourself in the real world......haha I am pushing myself to become the best I can be in both the photography field as well as the graphic design field because I want to as marketable as possible. And to learn more about the demands of the professional outside world, I have been interning and finding more intern opportunities. Grad school is last on my post grad list of things to do....I believe that my field is more dependent on professional experience and less on exceedingly higher education. Not to say that I don't love school...I just would love to be out in the world doing what I love and getting paid for it instead of juggling grad school work and bills.
RS: What inspires you?
KW: I don't know if there is particular person or thing that inspires me.... I think what always catches my eye visually is when I see creative designs and concepts that transcends the literal/realistic image that the average human being would see. I love when people exaggerate color, light, and emotion to the point where my mind is stimulated. And this could be in drawings, graphic art designs, paintings, photography, anything!
RS: In a perfect, happy world, what would you be doing with art for the rest of your life?
KW: I don't have anything specific in mind for careers at the moment because I just want a job somewhere in the arts so I can move out of the house and be on my own. But I guess ideally I'd love to be a photographer for maybe the movie and film industry? Or a graphic designer/photographer for a high end magazine? I'd love any job that had me traveling around the world photographing anything.......now THAT would be a great job! But as you can see, I'm really keeping my options open and would like any field experience.
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Interview by Rex Macipinlac '13
Image credit: Kat Waterman