Trying to work yesterday until Daniel came home with "news" was kinda hard. Despite my reservations(mostly due to finances) I am actually excited about the possibility of MICA for Daniel, and I practically pounced on him when he walked through the door after school. What can I say..I'm his mother.
How did it go?...what did she say...was she impressed...what about the other students...tell me..TELL ME..TELL ME EVERYTHING! (all on the inside of course).
On the outside casually rotating in my chair to face the door as he enters..."how was your day? Did your MICA thing go well?"
So goes my take on what he said happened which is of course only a secondhand interpretation but here goes...
The experience with the MICA recruiter was a positive one but not a clear rubber stamp-"your in" type thing(ok so much for that). There were five students reviewed and Daniel being the last of the five got to listen to all the others reviewed and then have the recruiter to himself at the end(everyone else left after their turn). Not only did this give Daniel a broader view of what makes up a good portfolio, he also got to have that one-on-one as expected.
He noticed that while with him the recruiter's tone changed. It could be because he was the only student doing 9 foot canvas sculptural pieces. It could be that it was because he was the only one that was working in abstract expressionism. But I think it was because he opened his mouth.
He just has a way of saying things. Maybe it is the writer in him, I don't know, but the truth is he is just SO DEEP. And it is not just his mother who thinks that. Brian McClaren once told us that our son was a philosopher. Go figure.
So once this MICA recruiter started to listen to WHY he was painting abstract Rothko-like paintings there was a deepening of interest. I guess she may have expected an explanation that included things like "I liked the colors", but instead was given a mini lecture on the symbolism of the birth of the universe or (in one of his pieces) the symbolic resilience of the human heart after being split in two. He explained that some of the works are symbolic to a book that he is working on and she actually encouraged him to include some of his writing in his portfolio for formal application, which I thought was interesting. And she did say that his digital work was far beyond the HS level. But one thing that she said needed work was his observation studies(drawing from life), which in fact she told all of the students. All-in-all he was encouraged to apply and having the attention of one of the people who writes the acceptance letters can't be bad.
So for the next few weeks there will a strong focus on the MICA portfolio and application(deadline feb,14), along with some serious pursuits of financial aid. At least the 3000. scholarship that Daniel won back in August would be doubled by MICA if he were accepted. Let's see that will just about pay for books and art supplies...
sigh.
who knows...door number 1...door number 2....
perhaps clarity will come with a loud slamming sound.
the saga continues.
Blair - What a trip! My oldest is a sophomore, and the financial aspects of university seem somewhat daunting to me. Daniel is so talented, and more. I am excited to see which Way opens for him, and, truth be told, hoping that your sharing will help to prepare me for my sons journeys. Thanks for that, and for sharing Daniel's talents with us. My 8th grader loved the little drummer boy - you are all awesome.
anj, thanks so much for reading my long meanderings and for your encouragement. If my fits and starts can be an encouragement to anyone, that's god's grace! Glad your 8th grader liked the little drummer boy. I'll tell my guys-maybe that will encourage my sweet hubby to do more!