I’m really into art. This semester what I enjoy the most is weaving and fiber arts. Before coming to Putney I was just painting and drawing as detailed as I could. But here I’ve broadened my vision through a lot of different varieties. It’s brought me to another level of understanding of aesthetics and design. I can see the correlations between the different art forms, and ways to combine two things I’m interested in into a project. I’ve been thinking about taking some traditional Chinese sheet music and weaving those notes into specific patterns. So I would have this whole blanket that would represent a song.
Putney really allows you to come up with your own ideas. You’re not going to be judged. It’s like you’re free. You won’t be afraid of telling your teacher, ‘I want to do this.’ And because there’s so many resources, you can achieve your goal.
One of my most remarkable projects was a runway I did with some other Asian students. We picked up clothes from thrift stores, selected models and had them go on stage. I definitely learned a lot about fashion and design, but also about assigning jobs and organizing our plans step by step. And just how to deal with challenges. If something doesn’t work, how we could use our other resources to make the best of it.
One thing that’s special is you can go out into nature. I remember one time we went to the woods and had to express how the woods feel. I fell in love with the feeling that I could control my body so precisely and just kind of use my body as sort of a paintbrush.
I just feel it’s a place full of inspiration. It’s a community that you live in rather than study in. There are just so many benefits. It’s kind of like a utopia. People focus a lot more on your life rather than your academic skills, and really do care about you as a person. It’s a place that can really provide you with the preparation for college.