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我的艺术成长之路
My Artistic Journey
宋庆龄学校国际部
2024届毕业生 江睿妍
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罗德岛设计学院
Rhode Island School of Design
普瑞特艺术学院
Pratt Institute
芝加哥艺术学院
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
加州艺术学院
California College of the Arts
English
今年是我与宋校相处的第12年,也是最后一年。翻看小学时的照片,这些画面和片段仍历历在目。校园里充满了曾经与小伙伴们一起打闹的场景,偶尔路过时还会想起来。小学到高中,在这里走了一圈又一圈。陪伴,是宋校赠予我最宝贵的一份礼物,足够的温暖让我从不畏惧地自由成长。
初踏艺术之路
小学时,我最喜欢上美术课,美术老师黄老师回忆小学时的我说,画画的时候很安静,我的画纤细,很小姑娘的风格。我的性格永远被诚实的画布捕捉,内向的、没法在人群中找到把手的我,进入白色纸张,把收敛的情绪沉入笔下世界,在创造里找到了开关。颜色,线条,画面,每一步编排都小心翼翼,生怕碰倒了新世界的一砖一瓦。
随着我艺术兴趣的逐渐显露,学校、同学、老师以及家人都纷纷鼓励我深入艺术学习。在他们的支持之外,学校里蕴藏着一种宁静而深刻的陪伴。它存在于共同创造的时刻、批评时的默契理解,和无声的肯定。逐渐地,技法越来越熟练,画得越来越生动。随着肉眼可见的进步,我的自信心进一步滋长。
突破怀疑瓶颈
然而,每次进入美术馆,看到的艺术品都没有一个拘泥于写实,这让我不禁反思:我们用什么标准来衡量好的艺术?很显然,曾经自己以为正在逐步攀升的台阶已然坍塌成碎石山。
需要找到新的工具!我尝试通过文本阅读、观看戏剧等活动来调动自己的想象力。在不断与艺术相处的过程中,我摸不清艺术的导向。
好的艺术具备什么条件?我做这件事的意义是什么?诸如此类的自我怀疑时不时浮出水面,淹没我的创造力。
在申请大学阶段,作为这一届里唯一学习纯艺术的学生,很难在与大家背道而驰的同时稳住脚跟。周围同学的兴趣和目标与我完全不同,这使得我时常难以专注于手头的事情,跟随其他同学的步伐陷入了不应该焦虑的事情中:我花费了大量时间担心我的成绩和考试,而忽视了更值得被注意的作品集。
我真想对那时的自己说:Thinking not just acting.漫无边界的勤勉是一种糊弄自己的勤勉,不该用行动上的勤奋掩盖思想上的懒惰。事实也同样告诉我,压迫地自律,过度的努力往往难以取得理想的结果。直到结束,我才意外发现这场考试并不像想象的那么重要。即便没有这些习题,只要明确自己的方向,照样走得漂亮。感谢宋校宽松的气氛和爱护,让我能够自我发现和成长。
我知道学习文艺无法两手抓,但那时的我相当担心如果松懈了学习,我可能会成为那个德不配位的“艺术特长生”。其实我本不需要通过努力学习来证明,自己从事艺术并不是因为学习不好。内卷盛况空前,成绩成为大多数人的人格通牒,而宋校告诉我们:条条大路通罗马。
艺术之路的陪伴
关于成长,在艺术的道路上,少不了老师的陪伴。在作品制作中,我们的美术老师Mr.Dordevic对我的帮助很大,不仅在思想上他能够经常启发我,而且,在具体制作的技术问题上,他也总是能够想出很神奇的方法帮我解决困难。例如,在筹备行为艺术的过程中,我需要踩着石头沾上墨水印在铺在地上的纸上,但是颜料要么干得太快没法持续拓印,要么干得慢而流动性太快,于是老师直接给我调配了一种颜料,一次尝试就成功了。
除了美术老师,我在宋校也遇到了许多其他优秀的老师。他们不仅仅是知识的传递者,更是我人生道路上的导师和伙伴。最后一年,在张昊旻老师的“小说细读与批评”课上,我们互相分享阅读,共同感受、表达和书写。文学和艺术有许多相似性,它们共同帮助人们抵御孤单;陈姣妤老师的心理咨询室是学校里最可爱的空间,在她的聆听下,我更深一步洞察自我,理解情绪和自我的关系。艺术作为表达自我的介质无法忽视心理学习的重要;还有图书馆的江老师,我们共同分享读书心得,音乐及其他很多想法!
以前听到一种说法是:“师生关系不在于双方的知识互动,而是从学生这个个体出发,老师缔结出了这么一段关系,老师是否能够容纳他的自由意志、唤起他自我促进的本能”,在宋校的校园里,我正是看到了很多这样的老师。
在宋校生活的十二年里,我不仅学会了艺术技巧,更重要的是学会了如何面对自我怀疑,保持创造力。这段经历不仅是技能的提升,更是心灵的成长。和宋校每一位老师和同学的交流,都让我更自由地探索艺术,了解艺术不只是技巧展示,更是灵魂的表达。随着毕业临近,我带着这些宝贵的记忆,准备开始新的旅程。
学姐说
创造不能停!
Be Creative
师说
Mr. Dordevic Milos
Annie是一位非常成熟的艺术家,她能够展现出这个年龄学生中罕见的独立性和奉献精神。她总是有不竭的动力观察、分析和欣赏周围世界,这种精神深深激励了我们学校很多人。她对世界有着深刻的洞察力,并用她的艺术反映出来,用各种艺术媒介熟练地呈现出来。Annie是一个会观察、创造、启发、汲取灵感的人,真正展现了艺术家的本质。
张宇翔老师
Annie是一个极富创意与想象力的学生,她的独特思维总能让人眼前一亮。尽管在日常交流中,她显得比较内敛,但在课堂上,她却总能提出别具一格的观点与见解,为课堂讨论注入新的活力。她的主要兴趣虽然集中在艺术与设计领域,但她的好奇心与热情却远不止于此,她还对数学与物理等科目充满探索的欲望,这种跨学科的广泛兴趣使她的学习之路更加丰富多彩。
王艺蓉老师
Annie是我见过最有艺术气质的学生:细腻、敏感、真实、善良。她不仅极具艺术天赋,而且思想深刻、见解独特。她会认真思考未来职业对自己的意义;她用行为艺术来反思中国的应试教育;她喜欢在角落里静静读书,甚至在嘈杂的学校食堂可以静心阅读《爱的艺术》这样思辨的哲学书。Annie也总是愿意为学校贡献自己的力量,学校里很多活动上别致、清新的设计,都来自Annie。愿你带着好奇心、有趣的灵魂,继续在艺术的殿堂里自由探索!
中文
This year marks my 12th year at Shanghai Soong Ching Ling School International Division (SCLSID), and also my final year. Looking back at the photos from elementary school, those scenes and moments are still vivid in my mind. The campus is filled with scenes of playfulness with my childhood friends, and occasionally, passing by these locations, those memories come rushing back. From elementary to high school, I've made countless rounds here. This companionship at SCLSID has been the most precious gift, providing enough warmth for me to grow freely without fear.
Embarking on My Artistic Path
I loved art class the most in elementary school. My art teacher, Ms. Huang, recalled me in my childhood, saying that I was very quiet when drawing and my strokes were delicate, reflecting a typical young girl's style. My personality was forever captured by the canvas. As an introverted individual, unable to find my place in crowds, I found solace in the blank paper, submerging my restrained emotions into the world beneath my pen. Colors, lines, compositions—every step felt carefully arranged, and I feared to knock down even a single brick or tile of the new world I was constructing.
As my interest in art gradually emerged, my school, classmates, teachers, and family all encouraged me to delve deeper into art studies. Through their support, I was inundated with a serene and profound sense of companionship within the school. It manifested in moments of shared creation, silent understandings during critiques, and unspoken affirmations from staff. Gradually, my techniques became more proficient, and my art more vivid. With visible progress, my confidence further blossomed.
Breaking Through the Barrier of Doubt
However, every time I entered an art gallery, none of the artworks seemed constrained by realism. This prompted me to reflect: what standards do we use to measure good art? Clearly, the stairs I thought I was steadily climbing crumbled into rubble.
I needed to find new tools! I attempted to stimulate my imagination through activities like reading texts and watching dramas.
However, there always seemed to be a vast gap between ideas and execution, with my abilities never quite meeting my aesthetic aspirations.Often, I found myself trapped in the process of overthinking, struggling to translate my ideas into concrete works. Despite continual engagement with art, I couldn't grasp its essence. What conditions define good art? What is the significance of my pursuit? Such self-doubts occasionally surfaced, drowning my creativity.
As the only student pursuing pure art in my cohort during the college application period, it was challenging to stand firm against the tide. My peers' interests and goals were entirely different from mine, often making it difficult for me to focus on my own tasks. I found myself caught up in unnecessary anxieties, spending a considerable amount of time worrying about my grades and exams, neglecting my portfolio, which deserved more attention.
I wish I could tell my past self: "Think, don’t just act." To me, boundless diligence is a way of fooling oneself, and diligence in action should not mask laziness in thought. Indeed, oppressive self-discipline and excessive effort may still often fail to yield ideal results. It was only at the end of my application process that I unexpectedly discovered that exams weren't as vital to my path as I had once feared. Even without them, as long as I had a clear direction, I could still walk along my own beautiful path. I am grateful for the relaxed atmosphere and care at SCLSID, which allowed me to discover myself and grow.
I knew I couldn't excel in both academic and artistic pursuits simultaneously, but I had been quite worried that if I slackened in my studies, I might become the stereotypical "artistic talent with poor grades." In fact, I didn't need to prove to anyone that my pursuit of art was due to any academic shortcomings. In the midst of unprecedented academic competition among teenagers, I quietly felt that grades became a sort of personality certificate for most people. However, SCLSID taught us: "All roads lead to Rome."
Companionship on my Artistic Journey
My teachers' companionship was indispensable as I became more focused on art. Mr. Dordevic, my art teacher, has been of great help to me in fine-tuning my creative process. Not only did he often inspire me intellectually, but he also always came up with ingenious ways to help me solve technical problems in specific production processes. For example, while preparing for my performance art piece, I needed to step on stones dipped in ink and print them on paper spread on the ground. However, the paint would either dry too quickly, making it impossible to continue printing, or dry too slowly with too much fluidity. So, Mr. Dordevic directly prepared a special type of paint for me, and it succeeded on my first attempt.
In addition to Mr. Dordevic, I've encountered many other excellent teachers at SCLSID. They are not just conveyors of knowledge, but also mentors and partners on my life's journey. In my final year, in Ms. Yimi's "Novel Reading and Criticism" class, we shared readings, experiences, expressions, and writings together. Literature and art have many similarities; they both help people resist loneliness. In Ms. Jo's counseling room, which is the loveliest space in the school, I gained deeper insights into myself, understanding the relationship between emotions and the self. The importance of psychological learning cannot be ignored, as art serves as a medium for self-expression. There's also Ms. Jiang in the library, with whom I shared thoughts on reading, music, and many other topics!
Regarding the teacher-student relationship, I've heard a saying before: "The teacher-student relationship is not only about mutual interaction or exchange of knowledge, but rather, starting from the individual student, the teacher forges a relationship in which the teacher can accommodate the student’s free will and awaken his/her instinct for self-improvement.” On SCLSID’s campus, I have met many such teachers.
At SCLSID, I’ve learned that creativity mustn't ever stop! Otherwise, you'll turn into a chimpanzee.
Teacher's Message
Mr. Dordevic Milos
Annie is a remarkably mature artist, displaying a level of independence and dedication that is rare among students her age. Her insatiable thirst for observation, analysis, and appreciation of the world around her has inspired many within our school community. She possesses deep insights into the world, which she reflects through her art, consistently demonstrating remarkable proficiency across various artistic mediums. Annie Jiang is a person who observes, creates, inspires, and gets inspired, truly embodying the essence of an artist.
Mr. John Zhang
Annie is a remarkably creative and imaginative student. Despite being quiet in everyday interactions, she consistently brings unique ideas and insights to class activities. While her focus is on art and design, her curiosity and passion extend to various subjects, including mathematics and physics. These wide-ranging interdisciplinary interests enrich her learning journey with colorful diversity.
Ms. Sophia Wang
Annie has the most artistic temperament in any student I have ever met: exquisite, sensitive, authentic, and compassionate. Not only is she a talented artist, but she is also profoundly thoughtful, with unique insights into the inner and external world. She is the kind of student who reflected on the true meaning of her future career, used performance art to criticize Chinese test-oriented education, and enjoyed reading books in the corner. Even in the noisy school cafeteria, she can delve into speculative philosophy books like The Art of Loving. Annie also dedicates herself to her beloved school community. Many unique and delicate designs showcased in our school activities are Annie’s creations. May you retain your curiosity and interesting soul as you wander around the world of art!
Authors 撰稿:Annie Jiang 江睿妍
Sponsor Teachers指导老师:张昊旻、Mr. Josh Yager