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March 13, 2020. My last day of in person learning as a high-school student. After this date much of the world retreated into homes, into puzzles, into the spaces of the web where trends reside, into the dark corners of isolation. In searching for silver linings to the seemingly relentless onslaught of bad news I discovered how ideal, if ever a statement could be made, the timing was for a pandemic. The snow had begun to melt away and reveal a vibrant spring that shouted at those glued to Netflix that there was an alternative, a safe way to feel human. I believe we all found solace in the brief moments outside catching our breath and being reminded that there is normalcy, for the birds are still singing and the sun is still setting ever so peacefully over the Earth. The spring's hottest activity was going on walks with those who were considered to be in your contamination “bubble”. I recall uncovering new streets and neighborhoods in my suburban area that could be arranged in any order to create a long walk to occupy the time. However, spending time outside this spring and summer was not just simply to pass time as we wait for the divine green light to return back to bustling lives of work, birthdays, vacations, and other now more important markers of the happiness that can be felt in life. Spending hours outside was a way to cleanse ourselves from the tumultuous news cycles soberly sharing statistics of the virus' impact. I suppose we all learned how to appreciate the little moments. I suppose artists see the world similarly. Consider the minute topics that have been spun by craftsmen and craftswomen into flowing prose, motifs, poems, and songs. The onset of quarantine was a collective moment for the world to pause, breathe, and mourn the destruction before motivating to problem solve in order to return to those relationships we deemed essential to humanity. Similarly, the transcendentalist movement was a return to the natural state of living which prompted increased appreciation for the Earth and all of her beings we are connected to. This more contemporary philosophical movement is most commonly associated with greats such as Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, and Fuller originating in New England. The foundational principles of the transcendentalists are free-thinking, self-reliance, individual growth proportional to natural growth, the unity of spirit and nature, and civil disobedience. It is astonishing to see the parallels between these values derived from a movement founded in the nineteenth century and the global issues we are confronted with presently. For example, when there is only a handful of essential business at one's reach they must become more reliant on themselves to make informed choices for preservation. The success of mandates and rules regarding interactions has been mirrored by the season, for in the spring when there were ample opportunities to use the outdoors to social distance and cases were being regulated but as are entering the colder months where such options are not as feasible poor choices are being made proportional to increases in cases. In regards to spirituality, many congregations and organizations found themselves partaking in modified religious practices oftentimes outside for safety which additionally created unique experiences to blend the words of holy texts, often riddled with natural allusions, and an outdoor space for observance. Most importantly, we have taken the collective moment of pause without distraction from life's normal tempo to honor the transcendentalist value of civil disobedience as means to enact change. While tucked away in the woods of Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau contemplated, much like his northern philosophical contemporaries, slavery or the instiutionalized race-based structure of his country. The citizens of 2020 have considered the existence of similar prnotionsinciples within the United States and taken out the bookmark to continue writing the story of how we as a nation combat the ills that plague us. The coronavirus has forced us to determine necessity and in the gaps take time to evaluate pressing principles as the current state of the world is grim. Thoreau famously states in his book Walden that he “went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear.” In these trying times I suppose I could say that I went on a walk because I wished to love deliberately, to take leave from my desk, and see if I could learn something more than statistics, learn from mother nature's beauty, learn the exhilaration of life by feeling the warm breeze on my skin or crisp air in my lungs, learn the connection of nature from picking fruit off the vine, and not, when I return to normal, discover that I had idled when my actions, my wearing of a mask, my vote, my voice, could matter. I do not wish to live what is not life for living is so dear.

I love art history. But in my freshman year art history class, in a basement classroom that was always dark and a little too warm, I constantly found myself drifting off as my professor showed us painting after painting and droned on in her quiet, soothing voice. I would always snap to attention when she urged us to look a little closer, and pointed out hidden symbols and messages that I never would have noticed at first glance. Throughout history, art is full of these little quirks if you can just look closely. Take a look at the paintings below and see if you can find them for yourself! The Last Supper- Leonardo da Vinci I spy with my little eye: a musical compositi I am willing to bet that everyone has seen this incredibly famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. If you, like me, have Christian family members, you have probably seen this image in so many renditions that you have memorized every apostle’s facial expression. However, take a closer look at the bread rolls spilled across the table. They look a bit like notes on a section of sheet music, right? Like, at least a little bit. One Italian musician, Giovanni Maria Pala, transcribed these bread rolls into a 40-second song that sounds a bit like the music of da Vinci’s time. You can listen to it here David and Goliath- Michelangelo I spy with my little eye: a meaningful Hebrew symbol It is pretty well-known that Michelangelo included many subtle and not-so-subtle hidden messages in his work on the Sistine Chapel. This portrait of the Biblical story of David defeating Goliath has an interesting composition. David and Goliath’s poses form the shape of a gimel (ג), the Hebrew letter that symbolizes reward, punishment, and strength. This is a fitting hidden message for a piece that portrays David, a faithful underdog, defeating the enormous Goliath with God-given strength. Man, Controller of the Universe- Diego Rivera I spy with my little eye: a whole bunch of Communists Nelson Rockefeller originally commissioned a mural to be painted by Rivera at the Rockefeller Center in New York, but had it destroyed for portraying Rivera’s communist ideals. Instead, Rivera painted an adaptation of this mural in Mexico City. While at first it looks like a colorful celebration of science and human achievement, the painting is meant as an insult to Rockefeller and a celebration of communism. It depicts Rockefeller’s father surrounded by syphilis bacteria, and holding a martini (he was abstinent). It also includes many portraits of communist leaders- can you spot Karl Marx? Cafe Terrace at Night- Vincent van Gogh I spy with my little eye: a familiar religious scene This is one of van Gogh’s most famous and beloved pieces, and if you love art a well-meaning relative has probably given you a phone case, tote bag, or laptop sticker with this image on it for your birthday. If you look a little closer at the people seated in the cafe, you can see a reference to another familiar work of art. Some experts believe this is van Gogh’s tribute to The Last Supper. There are 12 diners seated close together, with a larger and more distinct, Jesus-esque figure in the center. A subtle cross shape can also be seen in the window behind the diners. Coincidence? The Madonna with Saint Giovannino- Domenico Ghirlandaio I spy with my little eye: something extraterrestrial? This is a painting that I probably wouldn’t give a second glance in a museum. It looks like the hundreds of other depictions of religious scenes to come out of the Renaissance. However, upon closer inspection, there is something strange in the top right corner. Many have theorized that the strange round object in the sky is a UFO, while others believe it is an angel. A man standing below the object is looking up at it, shielding his eyes. We will likely never know for sure what the object is, but the truth is out there. Next time you are at a museum (if they ever reopen), take a second look at paintings that might seem unremarkable at first glance. You might spot something unusual that will give you insight into the artist’s mind, and learn that even the greatest artists in history were just like us- petty, political, ingenious, flawed, mysterious, and passionate.

The Queen’s Gambit started a new debate about sexism in chess. Without a doubt this one of the best series that Netflix has, scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The character development, different display of emotions and struggles, length of the series, and original story are reasons why it’s #1. From the main character being a kid who had nothing and no one, to becoming a global phenomenon loved by all, The Queen’s Gambit shows that women are a force to be reckoned with. Beth Harmon, was sent to an orphanage in Kentucky for girls following her mother’s death, developed a quick obsession. Throughout her life, she was as stubborn as one can ever be. This stubbornness was immediately instigated once she saw the orphanage janitor, Mr. Shaibel, playing chess. After he agreed, they started practicing religiously and she would also play alone, in her head with the help of some pills. In the orphanage, the girls received tranquilizers, and because of her best friend Jolene’s advice, she started stacking up on pills and she would use them to hallucinate the game at night by looking at the ceiling. With the extra practice going through her head, combined with her profound interest in chess, the audience acknowledges that she was bound to stand out in this game dominated by men. Years passed and when she was 15, she got adopted into a middle-class family. With an absentee father/husband, Mrs. Wheatley and Beth develop a very close mother/daughter relationship when she found out that Beth was a really good chess player that could win big bucks. She made a name for herself when she took it upon herself to beat the renowned Harry Beltik. Winning without a rating was something imaginable by everyone in the competition, especially since she is a girl. Her gender classified her as a chess sensation and resulted in her appearing in magazines and developing a reputation, something a woman in chess could never do. She developed quite a crowd and traveling from competition to competition, chess became the center of her life. She went up with the best in the U.S., Benny Watts, and tied on the U.S. Open, which was something that left her in dissatisfaction. Time passed and she flew to Mexico with her mom to a competition where she lost against the best Chess player in the world, Borgov. Her mother did not watch the competition, which was odd. When she went back to the room to rant to what she thought was her sleeping mother, she found her dead in the bed. She was heartbroken that her mother and #1 supporter had died, but that did not stop her from continuing her journey to the top of the chess world. When she got back home, Beltik reached out to her and he and Beth became close friends, even lovers at a point. He helped her train for the U.S championship but saw that his interest in chess was not to her level. In the U.S. Championship, she went up against Benny Watts and won. She left with him to New York and started learning new strategies that would help her prepare for the next competition, in Paris. This is where she falls out of the deep end, when she lost her last match in Paris, against Borgov. She came back home to Kentucky and all she could focus on was getting drunk and being careless. And then magically someone came to save the day, Jolene. After so many years of not seeing each other, Jolene and Beth’s bond was still intact. The reason for her visit was to tell her that Mr. Shaibel died. Heartbroken by this news, she felt that she needed to make him proud and get her act together to prepare for the biggest chess competition in the world, in Russia. Jolene lent her some money so that she could go to Russia, and so she did. After playing with the best in the world, the time had come to face Borgov. With the help of her friends back home about other strategies that she could use to beat Borgov on the last day, she won. Her life mission to be the best chess player in the world came true. This series shows that it doesn't matter who you are, but what you bring to the table, and Beth Harmon has shown that with perseverance, anything is possible.

There are lots of mediums in the world through which you can make art. While others may spend their time honing one skill into fine edge, I choose to use every medium I can and be mediocre at all of them. Jack of all trades, master of none, as the saying goes. In this blog post, I will be giving a short crash course on every medium I’ve ever tried, what they require to get started, their difficulty rating, and my general rating out of ten. John Green may not be hosting, but this IS a crash course. Acrylic paint Acrylic paint is an extremely cheap, easy way to get into painting. Acrylic paints are mixed and watered down using any old ordinary tap water, and are a lot more accessible to new artists than oil paints. The one downside of acrylic paint is that it dries extremely quickly and doesn’t leave you with much time to blend colors, so be prepared to layer! You can also buy mixing mediums that can slow down the drying process, but they may dilute the opacity of your paints. Rating: 8/10, Skill level: Beginner Acrylic paint on fabric Now you may be thinking to yourself: what the hell is this, you just talked about acrylic paint! And you would be valid. Fabric, however, is a completely different animal. While you can just use acrylic paint on fabric normally, it is prone to cracking if you paint it on too thick and won’t last very well. Trust me- I’ve had to throw out a brand-new denim jacket because of it. Painting on fabric requires a fabric medium, which you can buy at any arts and crafts store, and several layers of white paint under your desired color to build sufficient opacity. Rating: 6/10, Skill level: Intermediate-advanced Click here to see some Tiktoks detailing the process of two acrylic/fabric projects And here! Graphite (pencil) Good old graphite. This is one of THE most accessible mediums for any artist, and is used from beginners to pros. All you need is a pencil, or a set of pencils if you’re fancy, and you’re good to go! To blend, you can either layer soft strokes of the pencil or use something like a paper blending stump to do the work for you! The former will produce a more sketchy look, the later will look more smooth. I actually prefer the sketchy look! Rating: 8.5/10, Skill level: I have literally just been born, my mother’s womb actually came equipped with a pencil. Pen Ink There are a few different ways to do ink drawings, and one of those ways is just with a good old-fashioned pen. With a little bit of experimentation, you can use even the most basic pen to create value and shape with different pressure or types of stroke. Rating: 9/10, Skill level: Beginner Ink: The Remix While pen ink can be used to create really dynamic and interesting pieces, any interest in using ink on the regular might mean that it’s time to go buy yourself a set of ink pens. Micron is one of the most well-known brands, as well as being one of the cheapest. These pens usually have decimals or other numbers on them to indicate the size of the pen nib, and can be refilled by using tweezers to take off the metal top and filling the cavity up with an ink of your choice. Rating: 9/10, Skill level: Beginner-intermediate Colored Pencil Colored pencils come in all varieties, from the Crayola brand pencils you bought for second grade to the hundreds of dollar sets that come from brands like Faber-Castell. Colored pencils are extremely versatile, and are great for gradually laying up color to create depth and custom blends. While coloring in a line drawing might be easy, using colored pencils to blend or layer can prove to be quite challenging! I personally have always loved Prismacolors- they are good pencils, and their price is reasonable (although still an investment). Rating: 8/10, Skill level: All Chalk Pastel/ Charcoal While not exactly the same medium, chalk pastel and charcoal are often used in combination with one another, and the makeup of a chalk pastel is pretty much just a colorful charcoal. Chalk pastels are great for quickly putting down large swathes of color and blending, but that blendability comes with a price: you MUST buy some sort of fixative to seal in layers of chalk pastel, or it will get on every single piece of clothing you own and never, never, never leave. After each layer of chalk pastel/charcoal is finished, go outside or to a well ventilated area and use your spray fixative of choice (they come in matte, glossy, neutral, etc) to spray the work from a few feet up. If you spray too close, you run the risk of getting the paper too wet, bleeding the colors, or dissolving some of the opacity. Once you’ve laid down your fixative, feel free to keep layering! Rating: 5/10, Skill level: Intermediate Alcohol-Based Marker Alcohol-based markers got really popular with the rise of the Copic brand from Japan. While Copic pens are advertised as refillable (to justify their price tag), the reality is that production has not been able to keep up with demand and refills for Copic brand pens are rarely available. However, other brands have put out huge sets of comparable alcohol-based markers that are incredibly cheap (sometimes less than 75 cents a marker, compared to $7 a marker on average for Copic). Check the reviews, and buy a set that works for your budget. The alcohol in these markers blends together, and using alcohol-based markers requires a lot of layering (and testing the layers beforehand! Some colors really don’t like to go together and your knowledge of color theory won’t matter when blue and red suddenly make black). You can buy colorless blenders as well, but it’s really just a pen full of rubbing alcohol. Rating: 6.5/10, Skill level: Intermediate-advanced Oil Paint Oil paint was first created in the 7th century, which is insane. Because now I can simply buy it at Michaels instead of using a glass muller (look it up, it’s cool). Oil paint is a bit tricky and requires some kind of costly supplies to use. It cannot be mixed or diluted with water, and instead requires one of a few different types of paint thinners- turpentine used to be one of the most common, but due to the scent and the fumes indoors more expensive but scentless versions such as Gamsol have become popular (I personally use Gamsol). Oil paint takes days to dry, allowing you to blend to your heart’s desire on each layer, but also forcing you to wait before you can continue painting the next layer of your work. Also, you can’t wash your brushes completely after using oil paint- you have to get off as much paint from the brushes as possible in a container of your paint thinner, then use soap before adding any water to the party. As we know, oil and water don’t mix well. Rating: 7.5/10, Skill level: Advanced Paper Arts This medium has SO many possibilities and I personally want to explore it so much more than I currently have. This medium includes things like collage, light boxes made from layers of paper, or 3D works made from paper cutouts, among others. The sky is really the limit with using paper as your source of color, shadow, and depth- with a little creativity, you can create some really stunning works! I personally bow down in respect to collage, and really want to try my hand at it soon. Rating: 8/10, Skill level: Beginner-Intermediate Crochet While I used to knit, I haven’t done so in about a decade so I’ll refrain from covering that and instead dedicate some space to one of my favorite mediums: crochet! Crochet is an amazingly versatile way to use yarn and other fibers, and there are seemingly endless varieties of stitches and patterns out in the world (both free and paid) to create stuffed animals, clothes, blankets, furniture, you name it. I have loved making friends and family cuddly stuffed animals and have even taken a step into creating the medium that I use by making plarn- by cutting plastic bags into strips and systematically tying them together, I made a yarn made out of plastic bags, which I then used to make reusable bags! Seriously, the limit does not exist, I love crochet. Rating: 10/10, Skill level: All skill levels Embroidery Also a fiber art, embroidery is a really fun way to customize clothing or make some funky wall art. There are hundreds of different styles of stitch to experiment with, but you can do some fun stuff just with very basic stitches. There are also tons of YouTube videos and TikToks that can guide you through learning the ropes, all the way from how to thread your needle to making Starry Night with floss. It IS very time consuming, and can get very frustrating at times if the delicate floss gets tangled up, but if you give it some patience it will reward you. Rating: 6/10, Skill level: All skill levels Cross Stitch The final fiber art on this list, cross stitch is something that I only attempted once. It’s a pretty fun way to kill time, and you can make patterns yourself by creating pixel art and turning it into a pattern. It uses the same floss as embroidery, but requires a special type of fabric/backing with holes in it that you use to create the signature X’s. Again, requires a lot of patience, but I feel as though it isn’t as rewarding as embroidery and you definitely don’t have as much freedom to create whatever you want in whatever style you want. Rating: 3/10, Skill level: Beginner Polymer Clay Polymer clay is a very fun way to get into making your own jewelry and miniatures among a vast variety of other objects. Polymer clay is a bit pricey, and each brand has specific instructions on how long to bake the work and at what temperature. When you’re not sure, it’s better to do a lower temperature for a longer time. Polymer clay has to be relatively thin to cook evenly, so I recommend making skeletons for the large shapes out of tinfoil before covering them in a thin layer of clay. The substance itself gets a bit finicky, especially if the heat of your hands makes it too warm to hold its shape. While it may look easy online to make all those tiny, tiny pieces of an overall project, your real actual adult-sized fingers might struggle on the learning curve- mine certainly did! Rating: 6/10, Skill level: Intermediate Digital Yes, I know this category is ridiculous. Digital art can encompass hundreds of programs, dozens of platforms, and an infinite number of styles. I’ve been learning to use Procreate on a standard iPad, and it’s been a very fun challenge to my knowledge of traditional mediums. With digital art, I would once again say that YouTube and Google are your friends- all of these apps have little tips and tricks that will make your life so much easier once you are introduced to them! The downside to digital art is that it usually requires quite a bit of an investment to start. For example, the adobe suite can be pretty pricey, and an iPad or other tablet can be VERY expensive for a medium that you don’t know if you will like yet! If you decide to jump into the world of digital art, know that the initial investment will for the most part pay for itself over time when you never have to repurchase or refill supplies: Procreate will always be 9.99, and once you have it, you have it forever. Rating: 8/10, Skill level: Intermediate-advanced Alright, that about sums up most of my adventures into different mediums. I’ve also worked in both wood and cardboard to create sculpture pieces, but those need a bit more than a crash course to really understand! Wood, especially, requires some expensive tools and equipment as well as a lot of safety know-how: please do not just experiment with wood or cardboard on your own if you don’t know how to handle X-acto knives or woodworking equipment! And thus concludes my comprehensive list of every medium I’ve ever worked with, as well as a short summary of their characteristics and recommended skill level. Which medium will you try next?

Katie Meyerson November 13, 2020 | 1:05pm EST There are lots of mediums in the world through which you can make art. While others may spend their time honing one skill into fine edge, I choose to use every medium I can and be mediocre at all of them. Jack of all trades, master of none, as the saying goes. In this blog post, I will be giving a short crash course on every medium I’ve ever tried, what they require to get started, their difficulty rating, and my general rating out of ten. John Green may not be hosting, but this IS a crash course. Acrylic paint Acrylic paint is an extremely cheap, easy way to get into painting. Acrylic paints are mixed and watered down using any old ordinary tap water, and are a lot more accessible to new artists than oil paints. The one downside of acrylic paint is that it dries extremely quickly and doesn’t leave you with much time to blend colors, so be prepared to layer! You can also buy mixing mediums that can slow down the drying process, but they may dilute the opacity of your paints. Rating: 8/10, Skill level: Beginner Acrylic paint on fabric Now you may be thinking to yourself: what the hell is this, you just talked about acrylic paint! And you would be valid. Fabric, however, is a completely different animal. While you can just use acrylic paint on fabric normally, it is prone to cracking if you paint it on too thick and won’t last very well. Trust me- I’ve had to throw out a brand-new denim jacket because of it. Painting on fabric requires a fabric medium, which you can buy at any arts and crafts store, and several layers of white paint under your desired color to build sufficient opacity. Rating: 6/10, Skill level: Intermediate-advanced Click here to see some Tiktoks detailing the process of two acrylic/fabric projects And here! Graphite (pencil) Good old graphite. This is one of THE most accessible mediums for any artist, and is used from beginners to pros. All you need is a pencil, or a set of pencils if you’re fancy, and you’re good to go! To blend, you can either layer soft strokes of the pencil or use something like a paper blending stump to do the work for you! The former will produce a more sketchy look, the later will look more smooth. I actually prefer the sketchy look! Rating: 8.5/10, Skill level: I have literally just been born, my mother’s womb actually came equipped with a pencil. Pen Ink There are a few different ways to do ink drawings, and one of those ways is just with a good old-fashioned pen. With a little bit of experimentation, you can use even the most basic pen to create value and shape with different pressure or types of stroke. Rating: 9/10, Skill level: Beginner Ink: The Remix While pen ink can be used to create really dynamic and interesting pieces, any interest in using ink on the regular might mean that it’s time to go buy yourself a set of ink pens. Micron is one of the most well-known brands, as well as being one of the cheapest. These pens usually have decimals or other numbers on them to indicate the size of the pen nib, and can be refilled by using tweezers to take off the metal top and filling the cavity up with an ink of your choice. Rating: 9/10, Skill level: Beginner-intermediate Colored Pencil Colored pencils come in all varieties, from the Crayola brand pencils you bought for second grade to the hundreds of dollar sets that come from brands like Faber-Castell. Colored pencils are extremely versatile, and are great for gradually laying up color to create depth and custom blends. While coloring in a line drawing might be easy, using colored pencils to blend or layer can prove to be quite challenging! I personally have always loved Prismacolors- they are good pencils, and their price is reasonable (although still an investment). Rating: 8/10, Skill level: All Chalk Pastel/ Charcoal While not exactly the same medium, chalk pastel and charcoal are often used in combination with one another, and the makeup of a chalk pastel is pretty much just a colorful charcoal. Chalk pastels are great for quickly putting down large swathes of color and blending, but that blendability comes with a price: you MUST buy some sort of fixative to seal in layers of chalk pastel, or it will get on every single piece of clothing you own and never, never, never leave. After each layer of chalk pastel/charcoal is finished, go outside or to a well ventilated area and use your spray fixative of choice (they come in matte, glossy, neutral, etc) to spray the work from a few feet up. If you spray too close, you run the risk of getting the paper too wet, bleeding the colors, or dissolving some of the opacity. Once you’ve laid down your fixative, feel free to keep layering! Rating: 5/10, Skill level: Intermediate Alcohol-Based Marker Alcohol-based markers got really popular with the rise of the Copic brand from Japan. While Copic pens are advertised as refillable (to justify their price tag), the reality is that production has not been able to keep up with demand and refills for Copic brand pens are rarely available. However, other brands have put out huge sets of comparable alcohol-based markers that are incredibly cheap (sometimes less than 75 cents a marker, compared to $7 a marker on average for Copic). Check the reviews, and buy a set that works for your budget. The alcohol in these markers blends together, and using alcohol-based markers requires a lot of layering (and testing the layers beforehand! Some colors really don’t like to go together and your knowledge of color theory won’t matter when blue and red suddenly make black). You can buy colorless blenders as well, but it’s really just a pen full of rubbing alcohol. Rating: 6.5/10, Skill level: Intermediate-advanced Oil Paint Oil paint was first created in the 7th century, which is insane. Because now I can simply buy it at Michaels instead of using a glass muller (look it up, it’s cool). Oil paint is a bit tricky and requires some kind of costly supplies to use. It cannot be mixed or diluted with water, and instead requires one of a few different types of paint thinners- turpentine used to be one of the most common, but due to the scent and the fumes indoors more expensive but scentless versions such as Gamsol have become popular (I personally use Gamsol). Oil paint takes days to dry, allowing you to blend to your heart’s desire on each layer, but also forcing you to wait before you can continue painting the next layer of your work. Also, you can’t wash your brushes completely after using oil paint- you have to get off as much paint from the brushes as possible in a container of your paint thinner, then use soap before adding any water to the party. As we know, oil and water don’t mix well. Rating: 7.5/10, Skill level: Advanced Paper Arts This medium has SO many possibilities and I personally want to explore it so much more than I currently have. This medium includes things like collage, light boxes made from layers of paper, or 3D works made from paper cutouts, among others. The sky is really the limit with using paper as your source of color, shadow, and depth- with a little creativity, you can create some really stunning works! I personally bow down in respect to collage, and really want to try my hand at it soon. Rating: 8/10, Skill level: Beginner-Intermediate Crochet While I used to knit, I haven’t done so in about a decade so I’ll refrain from covering that and instead dedicate some space to one of my favorite mediums: crochet! Crochet is an amazingly versatile way to use yarn and other fibers, and there are seemingly endless varieties of stitches and patterns out in the world (both free and paid) to create stuffed animals, clothes, blankets, furniture, you name it. I have loved making friends and family cuddly stuffed animals and have even taken a step into creating the medium that I use by making plarn- by cutting plastic bags into strips and systematically tying them together, I made a yarn made out of plastic bags, which I then used to make reusable bags! Seriously, the limit does not exist, I love crochet. Rating: 10/10, Skill level: All skill levels Embroidery Also a fiber art, embroidery is a really fun way to customize clothing or make some funky wall art. There are hundreds of different styles of stitch to experiment with, but you can do some fun stuff just with very basic stitches. There are also tons of YouTube videos and TikToks that can guide you through learning the ropes, all the way from how to thread your needle to making Starry Night with floss. It IS very time consuming, and can get very frustrating at times if the delicate floss gets tangled up, but if you give it some patience it will reward you. Rating: 6/10, Skill level: All skill levels Cross Stitch The final fiber art on this list, cross stitch is something that I only attempted once. It’s a pretty fun way to kill time, and you can make patterns yourself by creating pixel art and turning it into a pattern. It uses the same floss as embroidery, but requires a special type of fabric/backing with holes in it that you use to create the signature X’s. Again, requires a lot of patience, but I feel as though it isn’t as rewarding as embroidery and you definitely don’t have as much freedom to create whatever you want in whatever style you want. Rating: 3/10, Skill level: Beginner Polymer Clay Polymer clay is a very fun way to get into making your own jewelry and miniatures among a vast variety of other objects. Polymer clay is a bit pricey, and each brand has specific instructions on how long to bake the work and at what temperature. When you’re not sure, it’s better to do a lower temperature for a longer time. Polymer clay has to be relatively thin to cook evenly, so I recommend making skeletons for the large shapes out of tinfoil before covering them in a thin layer of clay. The substance itself gets a bit finicky, especially if the heat of your hands makes it too warm to hold its shape. While it may look easy online to make all those tiny, tiny pieces of an overall project, your real actual adult-sized fingers might struggle on the learning curve- mine certainly did! Rating: 6/10, Skill level: Intermediate Digital Yes, I know this category is ridiculous. Digital art can encompass hundreds of programs, dozens of platforms, and an infinite number of styles. I’ve been learning to use Procreate on a standard iPad, and it’s been a very fun challenge to my knowledge of traditional mediums. With digital art, I would once again say that YouTube and Google are your friends- all of these apps have little tips and tricks that will make your life so much easier once you are introduced to them! The downside to digital art is that it usually requires quite a bit of an investment to start. For example, the adobe suite can be pretty pricey, and an iPad or other tablet can be VERY expensive for a medium that you don’t know if you will like yet! If you decide to jump into the world of digital art, know that the initial investment will for the most part pay for itself over time when you never have to repurchase or refill supplies: Procreate will always be 9.99, and once you have it, you have it forever. Rating: 8/10, Skill level: Intermediate-advanced Alright, that about sums up most of my adventures into different mediums. I’ve also worked in both wood and cardboard to create sculpture pieces, but those need a bit more than a crash course to really understand! Wood, especially, requires some expensive tools and equipment as well as a lot of safety know-how: please do not just experiment with wood or cardboard on your own if you don’t know how to handle X-acto knives or woodworking equipment! And thus concludes my comprehensive list of every medium I’ve ever worked with, as well as a short summary of their characteristics and recommended skill level. Which medium will you try next?

There’s this blog called Humans of New York. You may have heard of it. Self-taught photographer Brandon Stanton created it back in 2010; essentially he walked around New York City stopping random people on the streets, taking their portraits, learning snippets of their stories, and captioning the pictures with their quotes. It started out slow but has since exploded to the tune of 20 million followers. Back in 2013, Stanton bound several hundred of his best photos together in kind of coffee table book of the same name, the first of several. I own this book. I finally broke down and asked for it after a semester spent squinting at HONY art through the lens of Google Images in the back of my ninth grade journalism class. I still flip through it when I want to decompress, and I find myself making references to it all the time. The table beside my bed is a revolving door of books and notebooks, but the HONY book never leaves. Why? I’m not sure. But I have some ideas. It’s inspiring. Page 9: “So what inspires you?” “Colors, flowers and picnics.” Like the pictured smiling woman with roses in her cotton-candy hair, I too am inspired by colors and beautiful things. The photos themselves give me that. Maybe moreso, though, I’m inspired by things that stand out: clashing things, quietly different things hiding in plain sight, things just weird enough to be obviously real. The guy waiting for the train in an astronaut suit. The widow clad in entirely neon rainbow colors who’d “love to meet someone” but isn’t willing to change anything about herself to do it. It’s like every emotion at once. Page 155: “Anonymous hero performs public karate ritual in thunderstorm while wearing business attire.” Page 86: “Yesterday I spoke to my dad for the first time in sixteen years.” Within these pages, normal and nonsensical sit side by side. The heartwarming, the sad, and the stupidly funny do glorious battle. This fascinates me too- the way a little boy on the subway holding up his teddy bear so it can see out the window can make sense alongside the pink gorilla playing upright bass on the street for cash. The way they all exist together in the same city. It kinda makes you feel small, but in a good way. Ever since reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda a few years back, I’ve been a little obsessed with the idea that “people are houses with vast rooms and tiny windows.” Flipping through HONY is like encountering a new house on every page, some that look perfectly familiar, some the likes of which you’ve never seen, and some that completely defy explanation. I’m still trying to figure out what that disgruntled couple in black-tie getup is doing standing in the middle of a lake. Seriously, it’s baffling. It makes you think, though: every person in this book has a unique, multifaceted life story, and these people are only a tiny fraction of the world. Pretty insane. And of course, the people. If it seems overwhelming, that’s because it is. At the same time, though, I’ve flipped through these photos enough that many of the subjects have become familiar faces. Sometimes I find myself imagining backstories for them, or daydreaming book concepts where each one is a character. Just by existing normally in the right place at the right time, they come together to create this absolute explosion of life. This book is just the beginning- between the website, social media, and three other books, HONY only got better. As 2020 comes to a close, check out this manageable glimpse into the world’s craziness and beauty. You won’t regret it.

It’s officially November, so that means dark academia season has finally arrived. What is dark academia, you ask? Dark academia is an aesthetic centered on higher education, the arts, romantic longing, and (of course) death. It first gained popularity on blogging sites like Tumblr and can now be found on TikTok as well. Now that it’s fall, it’s the perfect time to take part in all the creepiness dark academia has to offer. But first, you’re gonna need to get a better idea of what dark academia entails. The best way to do that is to read the books that inspired the wonderful aesthetic. So, here are five dark academia style books to read this fall. The Secret History, Donna Tartt Not only is this novel a prime example of the dark academia aesthetic, but it’s also genuinely really good. The Secret History follows Richard Papen as he transfers to an elite, liberal arts college in New England. Richard quickly becomes friends with his fellow classmates in the exclusive Classics department, and discovers that perhaps their friendship isn’t as wholesome as it seems. This novel features the dark academia style of dress, setting, and of course the creepiness as well. Overall, it’s the perfect introduction to dark academia as a whole. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara A Little Life is one of the saddest books I've ever read. In fact, I’d really recommend looking up a list of content warnings before attempting to read this book. That being said, if you tend to enjoy the genre often referred to as “tragedy porn,” this book is for you. A Little Life tells the story of a group of male friends living in New York City. They all experience differing levels of trauma, but it is the trauma of Jude St. Francis that seems to bring them together as a group. The sadness, death, and academia in this novel all seem to make it a part of the dark academia genre. But it’s the strength of the friendship between Jude, Malcolm, Willem, and J.B. that really sets it apart. A Separate Peace, John Knowles I like to call this book the original dark academia novel. Odds are you read this book during your sophomore year of high school. But if you didn’t, I’d highly recommend that you give it a chance now. This book tells the story of best friends Gene and Finny who are attending a New England prep school during the second world war. There is a terrible accident that results in Finny breaking his leg, and Gene finds himself wondering if he’s at fault. Although the author has stated a number of times that he didn’t intend the relationship between Finny and Gene to be homoerotic, high school English classes still continue to analyze their apparently “platonic” love for one another. And, of course, homosexuality just happens to be one of the main themes of dark academic. The Lake of Dead Languages, Carol Goodman This is the first book on the list with a female led story, which should be acknowledged. Dark academia is, unfortunately, a very male heavy genre. It’s also a very white genre, which should also be acknowledged. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find Dark Academia style books that are a little more inclusive. Carol Goodman’s novel tells the story of Jane Hudson who has returned to teach at the all girls school she went to herself, and was forced to leave after a terrible tragedy. The novel switches from telling the story of Jane’s time at school, and the story of her time in the present as a teacher while the tragedies of her past continue to haunt her. For more dark academia style reads, check out authors like Leigh Bardugo, V.E. Schwab, Patricia Highsmith, and Brandon Taylor.

Shakespeare’s plays and all of his work is not only entertaining enough to still be fun to read today, but truly stands against the test of time and other literature. I am currently taking a class on Shakespeare’s first decade of plays and it has brought me an appreciation for the playwright’s work. Shakespeare’s work has a range from tragedies that will make you cry to comedies that will make you laugh out loud, to histories that will entertain while educating. Across these three genres Shakespeare blended the three and tested the limits of writing to the point where his work is still timeless and enjoyable today. The Humor: Shakespeare’s grasp of puns and wit are still funny and even striking even in 2020. No matter the play or genre Shakespeare is clever and makes the reader or viewer laugh. One of my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s a play that mingles fantasy with reality with many plotlines all coalescing into one. The layers and creativity are what I love about the play. However, what stood out to me the most when I re-read it was the humor. Not only was there dramatic irony but also scenes that are hilariously bizarre. In one scene the character Titania falls in love with a man whose head has been turned into a donkey’s. She wakes up later to say, “what visions have I seen! / Methought I was enamored of an ass” (A Midsummer 4.1. 74-75). The wording and general craziness of the play makes it very memorable. The play is silly yet sophisticated, just another talent of Shakespeare’s. The Drama: From Lady Macbeth trying to get blood off her hands to the murder of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare mastered drama. There’s something about reading one Shakespeare’s plays that strikes the human need for the dramatic flair. Shakespeare’s most famous monologues stay with their readers for a long time. For example, Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” monologue and its question of life, death, and mortality. One famous soliloquy that stands out to me immensely is Shylock’s speech on mercy in A Merchant of Venice. There is a video of artists performing his speech as an effort to push for social change in the name of Black Lives Matter that proves that Shakespeare’s work continues to have an impact even today. The Lovable Characters: My favorite part of Shakespeare’s work is the connection I feel to a few of his characters. When I was about fourteen I decided to read Hamlet and I, though I understood little, adored Hamlet as a character. He had the exact angsty dramatic personality my barely teenage self craved. Now that I’ve studied Shakespeare in college I’m drawn to new characters, such as the trickster Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the fool, Lancelet, from A Merchant of Venice. There is something about side characters that steal the show that proves Shakespeare’s talent. It’s Surprisingly Gay: From studying Renaissance plays I’ve discovered an underlying implication of homosexuality and even bisexuality as well. One of the plays most people point to when it comes to gayness in Shakespeare is his Hamlet. Horatio and Hamlet’s friendship is intensely close, but there are other examples of this that are perhaps even more intriguing. My prime example would be The Merchant of Venice. Though I dislike the play for its anti-semitism, the implied romance between the character Bassanio and Antonio dose pique many people’s interest, including me. The play opens with Antonio being sad for no reason, but scholars believe he is sad because Bassanio does not feel as strongly about him (A Merchant of Venice 1.1. 1-5). In the end this side of Shakespeare’s work is unexpected considering the time in which it was written, but still holds as a reason to continue studying his work. In the end Shakespeare’s work is not perfect, but it has so many sides to it worth studying. Every play is radically different and has something new to offer. Shakespeare’s work is still relevant despite when it was written because of the passion it brings. Whether that be discovering talent or issues with his work, Shakespeare is worth studying because it breeds discussion. Plus it’s still enjoyable even today!

There’s never been a shortage in history of cat-inspired art. From engravings on ancient Egyptian tombs, to Japanese woodblock prints, to Victorian greeting cards, cats feature prominently in many influential art periods. I, myself, am a dedicated viewer of cat-related artwork. If you took a tour of my room (please don’t), you’d find upon the walls, among other cat decor, a Le Chat Noir postcard, an assortment of lucky cat figurines, an Aristocats poster, and, perhaps, an actual live cat sitting on my bed. To me, there’s nothing more worthy of artistic representation than a cat. The Mona Lisa? Uninspired. The Mona Lisa but with her face painted as a cat’s? A masterpiece. Given my elite taste in cat art, I thought I’d use my expertise to showcase three contemporary artists whose works are heavily influenced by the feline muse. I want to start with B. Kliban. Would you believe me if I told you that Kliban’s depictions of rotund, bug-eyed cats engaging in humorous activities such as drinking fish tea, or having a boxing match with a mouse, first appeared in Playboy? His cat cartoons grew so popular that he ended up publishing several books devoted solely to them. Oh, yes, Kliban made quite the profit in his lifetime from his signature merch, all thanks to his knee-slappingly clever feline creations. Kliban’s cats are a delight: their distinct personalities shine in each illustration. They’re the kind of cats that make you go, “Hey, that cat’s doing human stuff, but with a cat-related twist.” And who doesn’t love that? Kliban’s aesthetic is consistent, yet each cartoon is new and exciting, and dare I say, uniquely thought-provoking. For you have to wonder, when a Kliban cat stares into the mirror, donning his Groucho Marx glasses … what is it he really sees? Another artist famous for their experimentation in cat art is the imaginative Laurel Burch. Self-taught, Burch began her artistic career selling Jewelry in San Francisco, and, throughout the course of her life, has produced quite a repertoire of colorful, whimsical cats, as well as other animals, such as parrots, butterflies, and horses. Perhaps her works’ most notable feature is her use of bold pigments, which I find reminiscent of stained glass. When combined with her paintings’ natural inspiration, her colors create a whole other world, one that, for all its brightness, is incredibly calming. Like Kliban’s feline subjects, Burch’s cats or not what we might call slender. The head-to-body ratio of her cats adds to the magical atmosphere of her work. All in all, Burch’s art is a celebration: of cats, of nature, of life itself. I can never view her work without feeling like my day has gotten a little better. I will conclude with an artist who, unlike the former two, is still alive, and making recent contributions to the art world. Higuchi Yuko’s art can be described in many ways: fantastical, surreal, enchanting, and, yes, a bit creepy. But in a good way! Higuchi is a cat lover, tried and true: her relationship with her cat, Boris (a handsome lad!) makes her cat-inspired art all the more exceptional. The cats in Higuchi’s art are one-of-a-kind. Often standing bipedally, and wearing clothes that I would lovingly describe as indie-hipster-retro-chic, Higuchi’s cats are impossible to look away from. Go ahead. Try. See, you can’t! If you need more convincing as to Higuchi Yuko’s cool-factor, Gucci has recently collaborated with her, launching some stylin’ Gucci Junior/Baby clothes. So if you love Higuchi’s art, and have a Junior/Baby that you’re willing to shell out $400+ for, now’s your chance! Regardless, I suspect we’ll be hearing more and more about Higuchi Yuko as more people discover her awe-inspiring assortment of whimsical cats. Cat art is hard to pull off. Rarely are humans fully capable of representing cats on canvas with the justice they deserve. Yet, somehow, Kliban, Birch, and Higuchi manage to create cat-inspired artworks that an actual cat might view and think: “this piece of art represents my cat-ness to-a-t, and I wholeheartedly commend the artist for their exquisite craftsmanship.” I hope these artists and their work have inspired warm and fuzzy feelings within you, dear reader. Cat art is, I believe, a rare comfort in this rough and tumble world.

***CONTAINS SPOILERS*** The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix tells a horror story, a ghost story, a sad story, but most importantly, a love story. A love story that we needed. The limited series was released on Netflix on October 9th, and has since been the subject of buzz from the media. Bly Manor is the second installment of Netflix’s horror show, The Haunting of Hill House. Victoria Pedretti, who played a main character in Hill House, takes center stage in Bly Manor as an au pair to two children, Miles and Flora, after they lose their parents and their previous au pair. Pedretti’s character, Dani, works together with Hannah, the housekeeper, Jamie, the gardener, and Owen, the cook, to raise the two children in the eerie mansion. The “lady of the lake” haunts the manor, killing those that reside in it by choking and drowning them in order to avenge her own tragic death. Dani is also initially haunted by her ex-fiance, who died immediately after she broke off her engagement with him. Jamie, the gardener, helps her through these difficult times, and eventually their friendship develops into something more. Dani and Jamie’s love story goes how most love stories go--friends with sexual tension to eventual lovers. Despite the show taking place during 1987, there isn’t a focus on the legality of their relationship, which is refreshing for a lesbian love story. Most woman-loving-woman love stories or any LGBTQ+ love stories place an immense amount of focus on the hardships the characters face in coming out, existing as an LGBTQ+ person, and discrimination rather than the actual love story itself. The Haunting of Bly Manor creates an authentic love story, one where we as the viewers aren’t bogged down by the issues surrounding LGBTQ+ love. Yes, it’s important to acknowledge these hardships, as they are very real and often a coming-of-age experience for LGBTQ+ people. However, every single LGBTQ+ story does not need to remind us of hardship. The Haunting of Bly Manor leaves all the hardship to the horror, and allows Jamie and Dani’s love story to merely exist, as any straight relationship would. In the final episode, it is revealed that an older Jamie is actually the narrator of the show. She tells an older Flora, who has no memory of her time at Bly Manor as a child, the “ghost story” that she experienced. Flora, on the night before her wedding, responds with, “I liked your story,” she says. “But I think you set it up wrong. You said it was a ghost story. It isn’t. It’s a love story.” Bly Manor allows us to experience a woman-loving-woman love story, which so many of us simply need. We simply need a lesbian love that does not focus only on the plights of being LGBTQ+. Jamie and Dani’s relationship perfectly fits within the ghost story, and may even overtake that story with their own love.

Growing up in Hawai'i––an island some would consider a racial utopia (I certainly wouldn't)––it was rare to have discussions on race and privilege, especially about the Black experience in America. Being in such an isolated location made it feel as if we were immune to the racial inequities and injustices that plagued the "mainland," a term locals use to describe the continental United States. My friends and I would crack lighthearted jokes all the time, such as being "podagee" (Portuguese) for doing something in a foolish or incorrect way. I distinctly remember the day I heard about the Ferguson protests. I logged onto my Tumblr and the first image that popped up on my dashboard was a silhouette of a man against a burning building. I kept scrolling until I found a caption that explained what happened: a fatal shooting of an 18-year old Black man by a Ferguson police officer. My tears left salty trails down my cheeks as I read testimony after testimony of the injustice that Black people face every day. I wanted to jump on the next flight from Hawai'i to Missouri to rally in the streets and voice my support. I felt so helpless, sitting at my computer desk thousands of miles away. About a year later, I received a TIME magazine in my mailbox that had in big white font––the kind that you see on billboards or on the front page of the New York Times after a terrorist attack––the words "Black Lives Matter." Underneath the words were two still images, one of Walter Scott running for his life and the other showing a police officer pointing his gun as if he were at target practice. I later found out that these images were taken from a disturbing video that captured Scott's final moments. Nobody should ever have their murder publicized like that. My naive self thought change was going to happen; I mean, there's no way that the deaths of thousands of Black people by the hands of the police would be in vain, right? Now, it's 2020, and we're still marching because people just don't get it. People don't get that it's not enough to be "not racist," one must be actively anti-racist. People don't get that "Black Lives Matter" means all Black lives, including women, LGBTQ+, disabled, and more. People don't get that racism is so deeply ingrained within our institutions, from the law enforcement to our justice system, that using "systemic" to describe racism becomes redundant. People need to start doing more to support the Black community like buy from Black-owned businesses and advocate for racial sensitivity and diversity training at your places of study, worship, and work. Not this performative theater B.S. that has proliferated every social media page via a cute, comfortable black square that screams "I did my part, so leave me alone." Although the state of our country is currently grim, these photos are meant to bring light to those who believe all is lost. Because there's much to be hopeful for, like all of the Gen-Zers and millennials I saw on the streets advocating for racial justice. "Truth is on the side of the oppressed." - Malcolm X

What is the problem? Is there a problem with our usage of social media? Yes, and it’s impossible to give it such a succinct answer when the list of problems is extensive. The creators of different social media platforms such as Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and so on never intended for social media to be as harmful as it has grown to become over the years. By watching the documentary-drama film “The Social Dilemma”, I got an understanding of how much social media has affected my life. I highly recommend that everyone watches this film, and I hope it changes something within you as it did me. As I continue my article, I will highlight some key takeaways from the film that impacted me the most. We are lab rats. It is not a coincidence that your feed is filled with cat videos, because the people who work in the tech of these apps, engineer your feed to your liking. They know how much time you are in a pic, and they know your likes because of it. These apps are slot machines. We spend hours scrolling down to see what is new, and we click refresh to do it all over again. As we look at more ads, these people make more money. As we stare at different posts, they are using your psychology against you. “There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software” -Edward Tufte. Social media is a drug. This is an addiction that needs to be stopped. Social media is supposed to be an art of expression, but it is so much more than that. Likes were made to spread positivity, but it has also turned into insecurity. Is the reason I don’t get likes is that I am ugly? Should I photoshop myself to get more likes? Am I not enough? These questions bombard the minds of the Gen-Z, because we are used to what is fake, and we are drawn to it. Famous people who deny that they photoshop themselves to “look better” are making their followers insecure, so they do the same because they want to look like them, and they think that is normal. People’s mental health has been severely affected by social media, and its negative effects keep rising. That is a problem. People are confused about what is real and what is fake. Social media also exist as a “learning tool”, and as people keep reading about topics such as politics and current events, they feel they are learning, and what they don’t know is that the sometimes what they are reading aligns with their beliefs because as I said before, our feed is designed for our liking. This is how fake news comes to play. Fake news travels six times faster than real news, and an app such as Twitter is known to be a home for it. The people who invest most of their time on Twitter are most likely to keep watching videos and readings of these fake news to the point where they believe it. Tribalism is ruining us. If everyone is entitled to their facts, then what is true? It is not easy to change the mindset of someone, but we have to agree on what is true to navigate our problems. “It is not about the tech being the existential threat, it's the technology's ability to bring out the worst in society, and the worst in society being the existential threat”. The people who have built these things have the ability and responsibility to change it for the better. I know it is not easy to change one’s lifestyle that is overpowered by social media. Good things come with time. I suggest we try to limit ourselves and try to once in a while live in the real world, and not just on the screen. I challenge you to stop using your phone as soon as you wake up and as you are falling asleep. You will feel different, a good type of difference. It's time to open our eyes, look into the real world, and make up for the lost time.