Priscilla Resendez
Artist Statement
I became involved in art for the first time during my last two years of elementary. At the time, I had no real interest in pursuing art as a degree, nor knew you could even do so. I believe at the time I had initially wanted to go down the path of medicine and become a nurse. It wouldn’t really be until much later, once I had already entered my teenage years, that I would decide I wanted to pursue art in some shape or form. Still, I became interested in art through the shows I would consume as a child and try my best to recreate the characters in said shows or make my own. I think I owe it to those shows and characters I consumed, the very ones I was picked on by other children for liking, that I became involved and study art and what it has to offer today. I wanted to create, or in the previous case, recreate, what brought me joy and interested me; as I found it not only fascinating but also comforting. Even now, as I am now an adult and grown in more ways than one, I continue to carry that same love and fascination for the characters that started it all. I continue to create and recreate, except this time without shame or doubt.
I want to make things I enjoy without shame. I believe that is the core of not just the process of how I design, but also of the very things I’ve created. When looking at how I work and what serves as a source of inspiration when making something, it can definitely be seen as childish. I am well aware of the risks that may bring, essentially impacting my image as a person and as an overall designer to not be taken seriously along with my work. Yet, I wish to continue to pursue that playfulness despite all that may come. I think that awe and wonder found within one’s childhood is often pushed aside to bring forth maturity and adulthood, and thus accidentally, or intentionally, pushes in shame instead. I believe the events of my childhood, and how I was pushed away from the things I loved, along with the ever-present mentality of hustle-culture (something even I fall victim to at times) play a crucial role in how I’ve chosen to go about art and design.
At the end of the day, I want people to think I had fun when making something— I hope it makes someone want to have fun with not just their own work, but themselves as well; I hope it encourages them to be playful once more. Above all, I hope it can be a love letter to the child I used to be.
