Personal Statement Sample #1I have always dreamed of
becoming an artist.
Art is my passion;
Art is my companion;
Art is my soul.
I am surrounded by art work in my home: ceramics, paintings, calligraphy,
photography, and graphic designs that I have created with pencil, pen,
charcoal, clay, and brushes.
I was just four years old when my mother taught me how to paint. Rather
than having me play with dolls and toys, she encouraged me to copy her
drawings and to paint my own pictures. Year after year she insisted that I
continue to draw. Consequently, I drew thousands of pictures when still a
child. I sketched eggs, fruits, vegetables, furniture and gypsum sculptures,
even human figures. Other children would beg their parents to take them to
places of amusement; I would beg my parents to take me to art museums.
I had a lonely childhood; my parents were often called out of town and
could not spend as much time iwth me as they would have liked. My
consolation was my art. Even before I could write, I was drawing pictures
for my mother and father, indicating that I loved them and missed them,
sending them pictures in place of letters. My parents saved these pictures
for many years, and recently my father informed me that the love I showed
during those trying times was a strong motivation to help my parents survive
the catastrophe of Chinese Cultural Revaluation.
When I was in the third grade, my art teacher considered me to be more
advanced than many other students and suggested that I design and paint
pictures for the school bulletin board, so other students could have the
opportunity to view my drawings. Every Friday afternoon, I would stand on a
desk and facing that 18-foot-long bulletin board (I was not tall enough to
reach the top of the board), sketching, drawing, painting and writing
calligraphy. Year by year, I was given the chance to create and share my
colorful world with others; it became my greatest pleasure. I now had a
goal: to become the best designer the world has ever known.
I continued to design and paint school bulletin boards throughout my
middle and high school years, winning many awards for my drawings, Chinese
brush paintings and calligraphy. However, my parents did not want me to
become an artist. They would rather I become a business person or scientist
because in China, art is used for political propaganda; they didn't want me
to get involved in Chinese politics. I acceded to their wishes, working for
foreign business companies after graduating from high school.
In July of 1993, I immigrated to the United States, and from then until
December, 1994, I struggled through the most difficult period of my life,
surviving one traumatic experience after another: domestic abuse, hiding
from a violent ex-husband, divorce, a serious illness and major surgery.
Without question, some of those experiences have strengthened me. In spite
of this, nothing could extinguish my dream. Art was the candlelight that
illuminated those dark shadowy days. I went to work in a fishing tackle
store, using my spare time to visit museums and practice sketching and
drawing. My love for art overcome those anxioius and otherwise gloomy times.
Not long time ago, I acquired a part-time position as a professional
painter, tooling and painting Disney figures on ceramics. Now I am more
certain than ever before that my art is my life. I cannot live without it.
In January of 1995, at the age of 28, after having been out of school for
nearly five years, I went to college to pursue a higher education. I studied
diligently throughout the week, weekends, and holidays. I took 19 units, so
I could complete my General Education requirement in three semesters. With a
3.9 GPA, I achieved my AA degree with the highest honor of City College of
San Francisco. During the graduation ceremony, I wept tears of joy.
During the summer of 1996, I used all my savings to take a trip on
Amtrak, primarily to visit art museums. I didn't see many of the other
sights in the cities I visited by spent nearly all my time at the Boston
Fine Arts Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the
National Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian complex in Washington D.C., the
Chicago Art Institute and the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art in
Kansas City, MO. I also enjoyed the many fine paintings gracing the walls at
the White House in Washington when on a special tour. I was absolutely
captivated by the collections in these wonderful museums and would often
spend the entire day in one building. While visiting the Museum of American
History in Washington, D.C., I fortuitously came upon a series of 3-D
computer animation and graphic design, playing a a TV set. I was enthralled
by this utilization of modern technology in art and stood there watching it
over and over again, mesmerized and spellbound.
Because of this and other experiences, I feel an irresistible impulse to
challenge myself once more, to acquire knowledge of art with respect to the
application of advanced scientific technology. I have decided to use the
gifts that God has given me in this challenging field. I wish to attend the
University of California because of its prestige and long history of
teaching art courses, but perhaps more importantly, I wish to be exposed to
the outstanding faculty. Indubitably, their help will be a significant
factor in my achieving my educational goal, that of becoming an artist.
With the help of Scholarship funds, I will be able to add more art
supplies to aid my daily practice. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and
QuarkXpress are the three computer graphic design softwares that I dream to
have, however, I am not able to afford. With some help, I wish I can
purchase these software and use them on making better brochures and flier
designs for the departments of CCSF.
During the vicissitudes of life, my art is always with me. I shall go
anywhere art leads me. With it, I am living my life to the fullest, happy
and content. Without it, I am nothing.
