The Collaborative Process

The collaborative process while in both this class and those that accompany it have taught me that no great work or endeavor can be undertaken alone if it is to achieve glory in reaching out to other people. It seems folly to believe that one person is the mastermind behind such great works of art that give us breath and feed us life. As we learn quickly in an artistic field of expression, we must take from others what gives us life so that we, too may internalize it and utilize such glory in our own works of art.

This final project has helped me in my goals as a Mormon artist so as to help those around me to understand that there is more than meets the eye to many people – I, for one, have often felt judged at first glance for many things that have happened in my life. Nevertheless, I am grateful for these more infrequent experiences, as they helped to primarily shape my youth and have had rippling effects throughout the rest of my life. In my final project, I was able to interview someone who was extraordinarily well-spoken and well-versed in a topic that I knew nothing about: Hebrew and how it pertains to the field of Law and Linguistics. Such an intricate mind is evident only upon getting to know someone deeper and find out truly what their passions and belief systems are. I hope in the future to find more people of all kinds all over the U.S. and learn about why they believe what they do. I feel that this kind of individual exposure to unique individuals and common but misunderstood conditions in our country can help others to release the stigmas that they might have about fat people, mental illness, or any number of things that make us different. Everyone has a story, and when will we be able to tell it’s most interesting parts? Some of these people just need someone to help them tell their story, and that is what I want to be able to do, at least in some small capacity – tell the stories that make up why the world is so phenomenal and people are so great at being what they are and believing with a fire in their hearts and a passion in their spirits.