introducing me.

I didn't really know how to sum up what my goals were and how my life geared towards this direction in 500 characters, so rather than introducing myself on the "About Me" section briefly, I think that my very first post as an introduction is appropriate! I've never really done anything as close to being serious about blogging or publishing works online (unless you mean by posting up photos on Instagram and Facebook, then... I take my statement back, haha) , so here goes nothing...

Hello!

My name is Nicca, but I preferred to be called by Allison or Ally -- whichever. I am 18 years old, born in the Philippines and raised in the US ever since I was six years old. I am currently attending Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey as a college freshman. I study under Mason Gross School of the Arts. Well, I would have wanted to attend a more specialized art school, like School of Visual Arts, RISD, but I don't think my skills are up to par for that at all! I just went to art school knowing little to nothing compared to what modern day aspiring artists would already know by the time they entered college.

I'm not skilled at painting, digital art, sculpture -- basically any form of visual arts. Not denying the stereotypical Asian-ness in me, I have to admit that I did get into the "hobby" of drawing because of a show called Sailor Moon. When I lived in the Philippines, I watched Sailor Moon religiously and started drawing my favorite super heroine. From then on, I kept drawing anime! Anime was the only art I knew and so I drew and drew Japanese cartoon characters. Soon, it was not just anime that inspired me. It turned to video game characters and fan-art of celebrity (which of course, a lot of people would not consider "original" so even in this aspect, I was behind in the art world) fans that kept pushing me to try drawing as well as the artists I discovered on the internet -- but only as a hobby.

High school came along. I attended a school focused on academics. I rejected attending a special program meant to serve as an art college preparatory program (which I deeply regretted). All my time in high school, I focused on getting A's on subjects I found non-stimulating and tedious. It wasn't until my senior year that I took a Fine Arts class that got me really interested in the arts. During that time, I felt as if I was drawing at a skill level of a middle schooler since I did not take any outside art classes. It made me feel as if I was lagging behind, especially if I wanted to be an art major. However, it did not stop me. It did the exact opposite. That was when I made the decision of being an art major. If I was not going for a B.F.A. right now, I honestly wouldn't know what to do with my future. I am horrible at the sciences. I do fairly well at math, but find it absurd. Business was too much for me (trust me, I would know! It only took one class in high school for me to get bored of it).

A lot of people today would believe art school is risky business. And I agree! But I would rather be learning and improving myself on the things I want to be doing for the rest of my life, rather than having the mindset of not wanting to get up from bed everyday because I would find working too much of a hassle. It takes a lot of courage to walk this path. I didn't know whether I was going to be able to do it, but I did it anyway. Growing up, I thought I was not good enough since all I taught myself to do was draw big-eyed un-proportional figures. However, even only in my third week of college, I've been encouraged by many peers -- making me feel like I have what it takes to make it.

So I think this is a good place for me to launch some sort of professionalism in my life; posting my in-class assignments and personal works to see how I progress for the next four years (of course this would be a convenient way to keep track of my portfolio for classes!). Please look forward to them and I welcome critiques and comments! Enjoy. :)