Essay 2: Statement of Purpose - 2017
"Nope, I Am Not Faculty: The Chronicles of a 40-something Year Old College Fashionista"
April, 2017
At the age of 45 I have finally, and unapologetically, understood that I have been working toward a career in the arts my entire life. My interest in art includes modeling, writing, dance, music, language, fashion, food, travel, make-up, hair and expressive art like paintings, poetry and sculpture. I draw inspiration from all of these areas. While my day-to-day was focused on administration and management as an executive assistant, I can see how art colored and shaped each one of the roles I undertook and how it enhanced my work and brought me one step closer to this moment where I embark on a fashion education and career.
During the past 25 years I worked as an executive assistant full time and what energized me the most was hosting a local television show, writing articles for several local magazines, and co-producing /hosting an awards show that highlighted the Latino presence in the city of Boston, and coordinating the Boston network of a national Latina networking group. I did all of these extra-curricular activities while working full time. I bring all of this experience with me to Mass Art and I hope to be able to utilize all of them in my career in fashion. In addition, I have exceptional organizational skills, I am an apt communicator and I can motivate and inspire people.
I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2004, at that time, I decided that going to school was not a priority. I didn’t know how much time I had left to live and I didn’t want to spend that time in a classroom. What I did do was leverage my illness to become a model for the Colondar, a calendar that features people diagnosed with colon cancer under the age of 50, to raise awareness of this disease. Recently, I became an ambassador for Fight Colorectal Cancer. An organization that empowers and activates a community of patients, fighters and champions to push for better policies and to support research, education and awareness for all those touched by this disease. This year, I had the opportunity to lobby our senators and representatives on Capitol Hill with this organization. I also started modeling professionally a couple of years ago. It was something I always wanted to do, so I submitted my picture and was signed to Maggie Inc.
My cancer experience brought to the forefront that we don’t have a lot of time on this earth and that we need to pursue our dreams now and not put them off. It is 2017 and I am alive (cancer-free) and wearing some of the fiercest outfits of my life, what better time than now to start a new path.
I currently apply my interest in fashion through styling women, closet rehabs and guided shopping trips. My fashion sense can be described as “elegance with a touch rebellion and sass”. To me this means combining colors, patterns, fabrics and textures from opposite extremes such as leather and pearls, lace and skulls, spikes and silk, stripes and dots to create a look that is either formal, flirty, professional or casual. The other branch of my styling work is helping women to discover and develop their own style and encouraging them to dress outside of the box. This helps them see the possibilities in fashion to make them look and feel a certain way or convey a certain feeling or message with their wardrobe.
I had two clients in particular that I worked with on style redevelopment. Kelly worked in a very conservative industry and she wanted to add some stylishness to her wardrobe while maintaining the conservative look and not buying anything new. Our time together consisted of overhauling her closet and me putting together several outfits from her own clothing. The end result was that she could now see that she had a fabulous wardrobe and that she was not taking full advantage of it. I helped her accessorize differently and showed her how she could wear her different pieces together to achieve a more stylish and yet still conservative look. Sometimes women keep wearing the same style of clothes or hairstyle for years but with a bit of inspiration and encouragement from me they are willing to change. My greatest satisfaction is when I hear from them, post-intervention, that they love their new look and they are putting outfits together on their own and redefining their style.
My second client was Holly! Holly wanted to shop for a new wardrobe to take to London for a new job. She speaks about the experience with me in the recommendation letter attached. She was very pleased with the outcome and still adheres to the advice I gave her.
I am interested in attending Mass Art because I believe it is the right place for me to develop my skills, acquire new ones, and connect with other people that I can learn from and who share my interests. Additionally, Mass Art will help me find a niche where I can combine all of my varied experiences with a fashion education. In the last few months, a change in my employment brought back into focus my desire to go back to school and pursue a degree in the arts. I believe it is my time to take the plunge and start working on my fashion passion. I see myself owning my own business that focuses on sourcing unique fashion for the style conscious woman and offering them in house styling.
This artist knows who she is, where she is going and looks forward to charting that new path with MassArt. I humbly and sincerely submit my application for your consideration.
Thank you,
Evelyn
April, 2017
At the age of 45 I have finally, and unapologetically, understood that I have been working toward a career in the arts my entire life. My interest in art includes modeling, writing, dance, music, language, fashion, food, travel, make-up, hair and expressive art like paintings, poetry and sculpture. I draw inspiration from all of these areas. While my day-to-day was focused on administration and management as an executive assistant, I can see how art colored and shaped each one of the roles I undertook and how it enhanced my work and brought me one step closer to this moment where I embark on a fashion education and career.
During the past 25 years I worked as an executive assistant full time and what energized me the most was hosting a local television show, writing articles for several local magazines, and co-producing /hosting an awards show that highlighted the Latino presence in the city of Boston, and coordinating the Boston network of a national Latina networking group. I did all of these extra-curricular activities while working full time. I bring all of this experience with me to Mass Art and I hope to be able to utilize all of them in my career in fashion. In addition, I have exceptional organizational skills, I am an apt communicator and I can motivate and inspire people.
I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2004, at that time, I decided that going to school was not a priority. I didn’t know how much time I had left to live and I didn’t want to spend that time in a classroom. What I did do was leverage my illness to become a model for the Colondar, a calendar that features people diagnosed with colon cancer under the age of 50, to raise awareness of this disease. Recently, I became an ambassador for Fight Colorectal Cancer. An organization that empowers and activates a community of patients, fighters and champions to push for better policies and to support research, education and awareness for all those touched by this disease. This year, I had the opportunity to lobby our senators and representatives on Capitol Hill with this organization. I also started modeling professionally a couple of years ago. It was something I always wanted to do, so I submitted my picture and was signed to Maggie Inc.
My cancer experience brought to the forefront that we don’t have a lot of time on this earth and that we need to pursue our dreams now and not put them off. It is 2017 and I am alive (cancer-free) and wearing some of the fiercest outfits of my life, what better time than now to start a new path.
I currently apply my interest in fashion through styling women, closet rehabs and guided shopping trips. My fashion sense can be described as “elegance with a touch rebellion and sass”. To me this means combining colors, patterns, fabrics and textures from opposite extremes such as leather and pearls, lace and skulls, spikes and silk, stripes and dots to create a look that is either formal, flirty, professional or casual. The other branch of my styling work is helping women to discover and develop their own style and encouraging them to dress outside of the box. This helps them see the possibilities in fashion to make them look and feel a certain way or convey a certain feeling or message with their wardrobe.
I had two clients in particular that I worked with on style redevelopment. Kelly worked in a very conservative industry and she wanted to add some stylishness to her wardrobe while maintaining the conservative look and not buying anything new. Our time together consisted of overhauling her closet and me putting together several outfits from her own clothing. The end result was that she could now see that she had a fabulous wardrobe and that she was not taking full advantage of it. I helped her accessorize differently and showed her how she could wear her different pieces together to achieve a more stylish and yet still conservative look. Sometimes women keep wearing the same style of clothes or hairstyle for years but with a bit of inspiration and encouragement from me they are willing to change. My greatest satisfaction is when I hear from them, post-intervention, that they love their new look and they are putting outfits together on their own and redefining their style.
My second client was Holly! Holly wanted to shop for a new wardrobe to take to London for a new job. She speaks about the experience with me in the recommendation letter attached. She was very pleased with the outcome and still adheres to the advice I gave her.
I am interested in attending Mass Art because I believe it is the right place for me to develop my skills, acquire new ones, and connect with other people that I can learn from and who share my interests. Additionally, Mass Art will help me find a niche where I can combine all of my varied experiences with a fashion education. In the last few months, a change in my employment brought back into focus my desire to go back to school and pursue a degree in the arts. I believe it is my time to take the plunge and start working on my fashion passion. I see myself owning my own business that focuses on sourcing unique fashion for the style conscious woman and offering them in house styling.
This artist knows who she is, where she is going and looks forward to charting that new path with MassArt. I humbly and sincerely submit my application for your consideration.
Thank you,
Evelyn
Comments