When I was first introduced to the question, "Why should Austin embrace its creative side?" I immediately thought of all the things I love about Austin.
I initially wanted to fit every creative place in Austin into one cohesive work of art. When I was driving around downtown, with my camera dangling out the window, attempting to capture every creative angle Austin had to offer, I realized I had missed the mark. By merely listing my favorite, most creative Austin icons, I could not truly do Austin’s creativity justice. To effectively answer the question, I needed to refocus on the source of Austin’s creativity: our unique people who fearlessly express themselves and our unique atmosphere that encourages them to do so.
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Creativity in Austin does not simply exist in the painting on the wall, or in the applause at a performance. It is indigenously everywhere, so encompassing we might become desensitized to the art work right in front of us. In my piece, I sought to glorify the apparent emptiness between where one object ends, and the next begins with a mosaic of guitar picks. Austin’s creativity has given significance to this negative space through the promise of possibility.
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Austin must embrace creativity to preserve its distinct personality that attracts so many. I believe that in order to embrace our creative identity, we as a community must encourage unique individuals to express themselves and release originality. The relationship between the catching and releasing of creativity is shown in the ambiguity of the piece. It is unclear as to whether the girl is letting go of the bat, or chasing after it. For this reason I have named the piece, Catch and Release Austin. More specifically, creativity enriches our lives, stimulates our economy, and deciphers meaning in the monotony. It is the font of all innovation, and in a world full of questions, I have found, creativity most often has the answers. Creativity is infinitely valuable. We must encourage it, to protect it.