Student Artists

     Iowa State student artists struggle to find the balance between academics and their creative endeavors.

 

     Johnathan Grell is a sophomore aerospace engineering student at Iowa State University, but he also practices the art of photography on a regular basis. Grell originally went for an aerospace engineering degree because he thought it was ‘rad’, but the program seems to have lost its luster in his eyes. “I’m probably going to drop out, switch schools, and do like a film major.” Grell said.  “I think it's pretty fun, and I’m usually pretty good at it if I have ideas.” During breaks, Grell works at his local news station in Duluth, Minnesota, as a behind-the-scenes man. He has years of experience dealing with professional grade cameras, so the idea of becoming a film major isn’t so daunting.

 

     Grell made the decision to leave Iowa State at semester and transfer to a film major because the program just wasn’t sitting right with him. “I don't really like the people in the program, I just don't really like the program,” Grell said. Instead of spending the next two and a half years getting a degree that wasn’t his passion, he’s decided to chase his dream. Photography and film are two passions that Grell would like to take further instead of aerospace. If he wasn't in school at all, Grell would travel and produce more of his craft. He currently feels confined to Ames while he’s in school, and consequently says Iowa isn’t the most interesting photography subject.

 

     Grell has been doing photography for just under two years but has quickly picked up the craft. While most of his hobbies are short lived, Grell feels that photography will stick with him.  “If I see something, I can kind of visualize the picture I want to take of it.”

 

     Grell edits all of his photos on his self-made desktop computer, and more often than not, he is blasting post-hardcore music as he edits his photos. He describes his personal style as “simple yet still smooth and interesting...I try to keep things relatively realistic and try to not go too over the top.” Grell aims to make his photos moodier and ‘emo’ as he grows. Many of his works showcase darker colors on a cold color scale.

 

     While Grell has yet to have his photos showcased at any galleries or other publications, his photos can be found on his Instagram, @airohpsyd. He also makes appearances on several friend’s pages and websites.

 

     Carolkim Tong is a sophomore in graphic design at Iowa State University. The design program at Iowa State is notorious for being a rigorous program, and Tong relays that in her experiences. “I don’t really have time to create for myself,” she says. She is constantly creating pieces of art for classes, and it rarely leaves her enough time to create outside of what is graded. “I feel like I need to put more time into my career outside of (the Iowa State Design Program),” Tong said. “But you do it so much in school that it can sometimes make you feel like it's not what you want to do anymore.” Tong tries to remember that this is her passion, and that this is what she wants to do for the rest of her life. While schoolwork gets in the way of creating for herself, Tong believes it is a beneficial part of her journey. “It’s really important to learn, and education is really powerful.” Tong said. She feels that even if she was given the option of not having classes, she would still choose to learn.

 

     Tong describes herself as 'very detail oriented' and loves to create realistic pieces. She says her graphic design professor is trying to get more minimal designs out of her, but she likes to show as much detail as she can. Tong finds a lot of inspiration from one of the graphic designers for Stranger Things. “Cesar Mareno, like he did a lot of graphics for Stranger things, and it’s just like, amazing,” she says.

 

     Tong says she grew up with art. “My mom... had a lot of fashion designs and artwork that she made when she was little...I also kind of grew up with that,” her first memory was a flip book she created with her favorite cartoon character from Adventure Time. It was the first time she realized that this was something she might want to do.

 

     Tong has created pieces of work for friends and family but does not currently showcase her work anywhere else. Eventually Tong would like to branch out and start freelancing or build a website, but her main focus is on getting her degree.

 

     Anka Snider is an interior design major at ISU and has always felt that her life would lead to a career in interior design. “It was either i was going to do interior design or be a teacher, or interior design or something else.” Snider said.  Her parents challenged her growing up to think in a creative way. “My parents taught me how to draw out floor plans, and a creative way to open up the room.” Snider said.

 

     She grew up painting and crocheting along with other random outlets of art. Her Instagram features painted records and teacups.  In high school, Snider was involved with pottery, painting backdrops and requested works from her friends. Snider finds art in almost every facet of her life. She puts a great importance on being a creative. “I like to tell people that without creativity; I think my life would probably be very boring.” Snider said.

 

     Much like Tong, Snider finds it difficult to balance work and play. “You know how it is, I don't have a whole lot of time to create at school, but like once a week I try to get out an old sketchbook and draw something,” she said. Snider feels she has found a balance in her academic and creative life, but it is still hard to maintain. When she toured Iowa State, she had a vision of herself spreading out a quilt she made onto the central campus lawn. She pulled out her sketchbook and started creating. While she has finally fulfilled this vision, it wasn't until the last week of her first year.

 

     Snider finds it hard to create art in her free time when she is required to produce work for many of her courses. “It’s really hard to find the motivation,” Snider said. She explains that most of her days are consumed by course work, and it makes it difficult to want to create for herself outside of classes.

     

     Most of Snider’s work can be found on her Instagram stories or in the dorm rooms of her friends. She would love to sell her art eventually, but “I’m a little selfish when it comes to my art, I want to keep a lot of it,” she said. Snider plans to reach out to companies that sell college art to kick start her process. She currently does not showcase her works anywhere else.

 

     Students at Iowa State are really struggling to find the perfect balance in their academic and creative lives. Often time the artistic expression takes a backseat while grades run the show. There is a real level of importance to having a little fun in your life. Afterall, Stephen King once said, “All work and no play makes Johnny a very dull boy.”