Ellen Buchanan is a sophomore at Boston University who writes for HCBU and is studying English with a minor in Visual Arts. Her passion for art was something undeniable that she decided to incorporate into her college career.
She showcases her talents on her Instagram account @ellen.buchanan. Her pictures include shots of herself and friends juxtaposed with colorful patterns, shapes, and phrases in the background.
What helped shape your passion for art?
“I’ve always enjoyed the art classes I took in school and my older brother was always really ‘artsy.’ I honestly tend to copy everything he does just because I’m the younger sibling, so when he went through the A.P. studio art track in high school I decided I wanted to do that as well. I also just find it to be a fun way to be productive while actually doing something I enjoy. It’s kind of like that quote about doing what you love and not having to work a day in your life. I loved the classes I took in high school even though I wasn’t really the best in the classes. I absolutely loved learning specifically about what makes art pleasing to a viewer and the elements the go into art.”
Why did you decide to incorporate art as a minor at BU?
“When I was applying to colleges I had the option to apply with a portfolio, which I already had because of the nature of the A.P. art courses, but I knew I wasn’t good enough at it to make a living out of it. I decided to be an English major because reading and writing is another passion of mine. In college I found myself missing art classes and the space they provide for me to be creative, but making art in my free time wasn’t really conducive to living in a dorm and being a college student. I also knew that while I love English, it would be really nice to someday find a job that could allow me to incorporate art and visual creativity into my daily life. I honestly just looked through the minors that CFA provides and chose visual arts because it’s the most all-encompassing minor for art.”
What exactly is visual arts?
“The minor at BU is really just a basic understanding of various mediums of visual art. It allows me to take classes in CFA without limiting me to a certain career path or even style of art. I’ll also get a more professional experience in creating art, rather than it just being a hobby. Plus, I might get to study abroad in Venice which would be amazing.”
Do you think you can use your visual arts minor in combination with your English major in the future?
“I really hope to — that’s the plan anyway! At this point in my college career, I’m just trying to take classes that I enjoy and hope that they will eventually lead to jobs that I’m interested in. What’s really cool about the professional world right now is that we as millennials and gen z students will be able to basically create our own jobs as the workforce and technology itself evolves. In other words, I have no clue how to use my major and minor for a job, but my future career might not even be invented yet, and that really excites me. An aspect that I love about studying English is analyzing and understanding literature, and I could really see myself using that ability in conjunction with art. On a more basic level as well, a few smaller companies and influencers have reached out to me through Instagram to advertise products. I haven’t taken any of them up on their offers, but I could see my major and minor working together in that sense in the future.”
Why do you choose Instagram to show off your art skills?
“I used to be really embarrassed to post my “edits” because in my opinion, they aren’t exactly revolutionary, I’m really just taking out a background or adding fun text or just drawing on the photo. Even still, I found myself always thinking of ways to compose a photo that would end up being a fun edit. And because I spend so much time editing the photos, I just figured why not post them. It’s really the only platform I have to share what I’m making and I really enjoy doing it. I’ll find myself trying new things and expanding my knowledge of Photoshop and illustrator for hours at a time — yet it doesn’t feel like a burden at all. I’ll get really excited to try something new and challenge myself, like when I figured out how to make gifs – that was a good day.”
How can the rest of us add some design to our Instagram? Do you have any tips/favorite apps?
“It’s actually really funny because I had always wanted to try editing my pictures but was too lazy, but my friend showed me a few photo-editing apps that work like Photoshop and I was able to turn to a more digital platform to express myself. Really anyone can do it too, you can download all of creative cloud through BU so honestly as long as you’re patient you can make your own edits! Before Photoshop and Illustrator, I used an app called Picsart that basically does the same thing. I also love Glitché if you want to throw some funky filters on a photo. I get a lot of the backgrounds and graphics from Pinterest, but I’ve started making them myself as well. If you want to add some design to your Instagram I’d just say to mess around with the pictures you have, I usually don’t have a concrete idea and a lot of the times the things I make are mistakes that I ended up liking. Just do what makes you happy!”
Follow Ellen on Instagram to check out her awesome posts and keep with all her new creations!
All photos from Ellen Buchanan.
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