1. List all visual study courses you have completed or are presently taking in pre-college, after school, or summer programs.
Do not include the high school courses listed on your high school transcript.
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2. Describe any work experience which you feel relates to your artistic goals.
Teaching children English has certainly catered to my creative side. Being with a room full of children can either be draining or insight enriching. The environment is so pure. There’re no preconceptions. And the preconceptions there are ‘re flexible. If one day you show kids that you can’t walk through glass, but the next day you show them you can, conceptions and expectations change almost instantly. Reality is a puddy to be played with. And bubbles of creativity are popping all around because there’s little limit in the life of a young child. Freedom of expression is a flag waved vigorously. Children do what feels right and comes naturally. So creation of any kind -speaking, drawing, food sculpting, even peeing- is pure. It’s uncorrupted. Whichever path expression chooses to take is how it’ll reach you. So you experience some pretty interesting insight around children. And interesting insight is what art is all about. Or at least interesting in sight.
Working in a kitchen also helped exercise my creative muscle and create my artistic goals. Adding and mixing ingredients is pretty delicate. Minor alterations change the outcome somewhat–>significantly. This necessary precision requires a ready mind, a steady hand, and a keen eye. Half of the appetite comes from sight of the food you’re eating. Maybe less than half. But still. It factors in. So organizing the food and its colors in an appetizing way is essential. Also, making food is an exercise in letting the hands explore. Much like creating visual art. Your hand’s create your mind’s eye’s composure.
And when I first moved to Prague, Czech Republic I wrote short stories for an expat-forum website. I wasn’t paid but it was a great way to expand my writing portfolio. Before that I’d only written a novel. And I was obsessed with revising it. When I started writing these short stories I’d revised my novel, I believe, 6 times. And there was no sign of my satisfaction. I think the revisions would’ve kept going. I needed something to motivate me to move on. These short stories did that. And they broadened my writing horizons to include quick and easy stories. Which were about 90% anecdotal. The other 10% would get not only untrue, but surreal. Battles with epic creatures and all this. They got me into a more fantasy frame of mind with my writing. Which is how a large chunk of my fiction tends to end up..These weekly short stories I would write really refined not only my style, but also my ability to meet a deadline. I self-imposed a deadline of a story per week. I wrote them for four months, so I wrote 16 ‘short short’ stories during that time. They really opened my eyes to writing potential. It only got better from there.
3. What are your goals after graduation from The Cooper Union?
After I graduate from The Cooper Union I’d like to stay in New York. This city seems like the place to be in order to properly pursue a creative career. The creative career I’d like to properly pursue would be one that meshes my writing and visual art skills. Something like writing comics for a magazine or newspaper. Or writing and illustrating stories of different sorts. Children’s stories. Graphic novels. Even trying to publish a book of graphic poetry and comics. This book seems like the kind of thing that could only happen after I’d been published in some other capacity..A graphic-designing copywriter would certainly do the trick. Maybe the most of what I’ve mentioned. That way I could incorporate a wealth of artistic expression into one tight package. Design, illustration, and writing. And I’d probably get paid pretty well for that. So yeah, let’s do that.
4. Describe an experience which changed your opinion and altered your point of view.
After graduating from university I traveled to the big island of Hawaii to let the adventure begin. For the first month or so I hitchhiked around, camping on various beaches. I eventually found myself working in the kitchen of a yoga resort. It was a pretty good deal ‘cause I only had to work about 20 hours a week in exchange for food and lodging. And the food was fantastic. Mostly organic and health conscience stuff. On top of that I had free access to the yoga classes and workshops and stuff. There were homeotherapy, weaving, and Hawaiian dancing workshops/sessions. Among others. It was great. Almost too good to be true..Something that caught me off guard about the place was that it was mostly homosexual. When established it was exclusively homosexual, but after some time it opened its doors to whoever(whomever). I arrived when it was 60-70% homosexual. 60-70% of the male population. The female percentage of homosexuality was much lower..Growing up in the suburbs of Houston I didn’t have much exposure to homosexuality. Even while attending the liberal University of Texas, I didn’t have much exposure. So the time I spent at this yoga resort was definitely an eye-opener. At first I was hesitant to socialize with everyone, being very selective about who I chose to run with. I felt uncomfortable getting buddy-buddy with a gay. But after a short time I realized they weren’t full of come-ons and sexual innuendos. I could laugh and joke with a homosexual just as easily as anyone else. No sweat. We could even talk about girls. ‘Cause most found girls attractive. Just not sexually provocative. And generally speaking, gay guys seemed to understand that it was just socially kosher to talk about girls. They rarely brought up homosexuality or same-sex pursuits. Unless I asked. And there were times when I was hit on. But I learned to take it as flattery. It really helped that we were in Hawaii. The laid-back atmosphere made things more mellow. So I didn’t feel I was in danger of being molested or anything of this sort..Homosexuality has been one of the biggest taboos in modern society for awhile now. Things’re cooling off with lynching and the like, but still. I’m extremely grateful for that opportunity. Facing homosexuality head on. I can’t even comprehend how much that situation changed me as a person. It’s certain the affect was both deep and long lasting.
5. Explain specifically, what other professions have you considered outside of the visual arts?
As an English teacher in a foreign country, I’ve thought about making it my career. The pay is pretty good. The hours are fairly flexible -depending upon your position. It’s somewhat fun and socially interactive. And there’s the inherent ability to travel. I think I could do it. Make teaching English my semi-permanent career. During my travels, I’ve met many people who’ve done just that. And made a decent–>above average living off of it.
I’ve also considered and tried being a professional writer. After finishing my second novel, I really tried to find an agent to seek out a publisher for that thing. And my efforts were looking fairly good. But a bit of misfortune came my way. And I don’t know if this is an excuse or just a happenstance or what. But I finished writing my novel in early October of 2008. Immediately after -or actually shortly before- I began looking for an agent. Later that month the financial crisis hit. And I don’t think that helped my chances of being published. There’s probably still some potential of some kind, but I find myself more interested in creating the pieces than searching for an agent/publisher. It’d be great to have my writing published ‘professionally’, but I can wait.
And while I was in university -studying geology- I had an aspiration of becoming a volcanologist. But I didn’t want to go to graduate school immediately after graduating from the undergraduate program. I wanted to explore a bit. So I put that dream on hold. With time it’s diminished in strength, but every now and again it pops up. I think it’d be pretty cool to tear around a volcano. Poking and prodding at it.
6. What books,works of art, and/or persons have inspired your interest in the study of art and why?
I have a friend named Ilya. He’s been a big part of my life in general over the past several years. We’ve worked together in designing my website and making his music. He’s an incredibly creative person. Thusly, he works as a graphic designer in Paris. And is good enough to make a good wage. He’s definitely influenced my direction in many ways. Especially in helping me create my website. What a great tool for my expression. And he’s been a heavy influence in my application to The Cooper Union. Through positive support. My parents have also been influential in my application process. They are the ones who initially told me I should apply to The Cooper Union.
David LaChapelle’s work has shown me an interesting side of visual art. It definitely awakens something in me. The colors. The creativity. The passion. It’s something special.
Also Alex Trochut’s work. That’s the kind of stuff I want to do. Graphic design with a bit of illustration mixed in. Very cool.
I quite like Salvador Dali’s work. His imagination is unparalleled. And his attention to detail is impressive.
And Gaudi. His stuff rocks.
One book which has had a significant impact on my life is ‘The Beach’ by Alex Garland. The story captivated me while the style spoke to me very clearly. The story was complex with a lot of ins and outs. A lot of emotion and circumstance. While the writing style contrasted this. It was simple. As if someone were telling the story verbally. With plenty of video game references. I was awestruck by how casual and entertaining the voice was. And after reading it I told myself, ‘I could do this’. Not because it seemed easy. But because I felt like I could’ve told the same story. In something like the same style. I didn’t write a novel terribly soon after reading this book for the first time. But one did come along in the not-so-far-off future..This book also made me realize adventure is out there, waiting to be had. You just have to go find it. The main reason I left The States after graduating from university was to find adventures worth writing about. I’d say my search has paid off in one way or another. And this book -‘The Beach’ by Alex Garland- has played at least a supporting role in my decision to venture outward.
7. Explain any trivialities in which you engage.
I take eggs from the carton at an evenly distributed spacing; I send sms messages with my left hand even though I’m right handed and it’s slightly more difficult; I always clean my plate. Even when I’m stuffed; I used to try not to repeat the same greeting/farewell to a person twice in a row. Even if I didn’t see them for several days but used that same greeting/farewell with someone else. But I don’t do that anymore; I have to arrange my browser tabs: gmail, facebook, news, additional tabs; I fill my teacup with hot-water/tea to the same line each time I pour. That line can be seen in stains; I peel my banana from the ‘bottom’ -the end opposite the stem- so that I can use the stem as a handle; I buy ginger from a specific shop even though it’s further from my flat, not of superior quality, and more expensive. It does look nicer though; I put my wallet in my left pocket even though I’m right-handed; While riding public transport I sit in specific seats if they’re available. But if I’m riding the subway, I stand. And I always go to the transport’s end closest to my destination, cutting valuable seconds from my travel time; I cut my own hair; While cooking, I have to rinse my blade between cutting even vegetables; I chew on the left; I sleep on the right -not a must, but I prefer it; When I have a choice I’m very particular about the shape of my fork and/or spoon. And this preference is pretty arbitrary. So when I don’t have a choice I don’t mind at all; Currently, I eat everything -including steaks- out of a metal bowl.
8. Describe an event or idea that has been very influential in your life.
From the summer to the end of 2010 I shared a flat with a French girl named Cecile. She was incredibly creative. She would make puppets, play the guitar, and draw beautifully. Her drawings had a great style. I still have some of them hanging in the flat. -I’m still living in the flat we lived in together.- One thing she really wanted to do was illustrate a children’s story. She’d even written one in English then illustrated it. But she didn’t like it. I never read it, but she said it was crap. So with me writing, she suggested I write a children’s story for her to illustrate. I’d been working with kids for years before that, so I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ I put pen to paper / fingers to keyboard and wrote ‘The Adventures of Spaceman Sam’. And it turned out well. So she started illustrating it. But she was lazy as hell. She was here in Prague on a study exchange from Paris and I believe she only received about half of the credits she signed up for. She just didn’t give a shit about finishing stuff. This applied to ‘Spaceman Sam’ as well. She moved back to France before getting even halfway through illustrating the story, so her version never came to completion. Granted, she did several illustrations for my interactive story in the meantime..I liked the idea of having an illustrated children’s story. So I sought another illustrator. I found one with great skill. As well as a penchant for space-themed illustrations. Perfect. Or so we both thought. It was the same story with her as with Cecile. Except I couldn’t get the new illustrator to budge a muscle. Even when I eventually offered to pay her. I guess by then the notion had just turned into insurmountable laziness. So I again went out searching for illustrators. But this time I was more prepared. Specifically, I had more coin in my pocket. And I had the idea to hire several illustrators, have them all illustrate the story, then post each version on my website and have the audience choose which illustrator they’d like to read the story with. They could see the cover art of each illustrator then choose. So I put out an ad on facebook and couchsurfing, looking for paid illustrators. The response was pretty positive. And I got several interesting interests. Of which three came to 100% completion. While these illustrators were illustrating, I began illustrating the story myself. I figured people’d want to see the author’s portrayal. And I thought it’d be fun. On an immediate level, it was a good thing ‘cause it motivated the illustrators to illustrate quickly..Once I finished illustrating that story I moved on to illustrating another children’s story I’d written. And the illustrations of the second story were better than the first. Actually progress was so strong in my and my parents’ eyes, I decided to apply to The Cooper Union before I even finished illustrating that second story. The sketchbook/scrapbook I’m submitting with this application was done about three quarters of the way through the second children’s story, ‘The Adventures of Princess Penelope’. The comics came after that. As practice for The Cooper Union application. And I find those pretty satisfying. So I think that initial idea for me to write a children’s story has gone a long way.
9. Why do you think its important that artists speak or write about their work?
Various opinions can make a significant difference in an art piece’s outcome. Usually for the better. If someone suggests something that the artist finds useful, nice. Constructive criticism which helped construct. If someone suggests something that the artist doesn’t like, no one’s forcing the artist to use their advice. There’s no social contract which says one must take any and all advice given. And maybe the artist doesn’t take that exact advice, but it steers them in a direction they wouldn’t have gone otherwise. ‘Cause at the very least, ideas love the feel of fresh air. It gives them a chance to breathe and grow. So when an idea is voiced to someone else, it may not even be the new input which benefits. It could just be the artist hearing their idea aloud which triggers something that couldn’t develop when the idea was all bottled up in their mind..And when creative artists collaborate, boy howdy. Look out..I imagine some creative endeavors like climbing a ladder. And each person involved in the endeavor is another leg with which to step. Working alone, one can hop up the ladder awkwardly. Probably not getting too far too quickly. But with another leg that pair can cruise up the ladder to heights otherwise undreamed of. Especially when that pair is joined by a third creative mind. And this is exactly how my website -www.corneliusbirch.com- came together. I developed most of the ideas for this site with my good friend who’s living in Paris. We’d been conceptualizing it for over a year. Mostly the interactive story component. So when we finally got a programmer to physically build the thing, he turned out to be amazing. And I think it shows in the website. It definitely makes me proud..Sharing your ideas can also be a great reality check. I remember occasions -while developing my website- in which I’d come up with a seemingly great idea then pitch it to my team. And they’d both say, ‘Uh. Calvin. That’s actually a really bad idea. Here’s why.’ Bam. Education.
10. Describe the time you spend thinking about, looking at and producing visual images and why.
Thinking about producing visual art is fully gratifying. Letting the imagination walk. Sometimes run. Is great fun. While fulfilling. It’s amazing to see what the imagination can come up with if you let it out to play. Or hunt. Sometimes I wonder where the heck ideas come from. I can’t visualize the physical/chemical process taking place in my brain when an idea forms. What thick air some ideas must come from. I would love to see the birth of an idea through an ultra high-powered microscope..Thinking about visual art in general is nice. It’s not as profound as thinking about producing visual art. But it definitely registers. Depending on the impact of the initial viewing. I very much enjoy delving in to art I like and respect -or am at least intrigued by. Studying the style, the shading, the pen/pencil/paintbrush strokes of the artist, and the message sent. Although I’m very particular about the message sent. It must be present. I dislike when an artist hides behind interpretive art. Having the viewer fill in the blanks that the artist couldn’t fill in theirself. That, to me, is weak. My imagination is good enough to fill in the blanks, but I want to be sure that the artist’s is too. The viewer shouldn’t have to give the artist the benefit-of-the-doubt..I especially enjoy modern graphic design: advertisements, promotions, graphical videos and whatnot. I find it quite exciting. And meaningful. And tangible. It has purpose and intention..Actually producing visual art is different for me. I cherish it. Dreaming up art to produce is brilliant. And you couldn’t have one without the other. But producing art is something special. It’s much more dynamic. Your ideas, expectations, visualizations have to change while the production is under way. Some things you can’t conceive clearly enough for the depth of physical detail. So you have to adapt your thoughts and ideas to the realism of your creation. And the creating itself is fucking fantastic. I can’t say this for creating in all forms, ‘cause I haven’t yet had the opportunity of experience. But a certain few for sure. And I haven’t been heavily producing visual art until recently. 7 months or so ago. Initially I fell in lust with it. It was mostly a physical thing. Something to get my rocks off by using my hands. Something to be present with. But now I’m in love. Visual art production has found the fissures in my craggy heart and crept into its center. I can catch sleepless nights at visual art’s whim and be relatively unphased the next day. Visual art production can substitute a full night of sleep for me. Which is no easy task.
11. Why are you applying for Early Decision?
I’m applying to The Cooper Union’s Early Decision in general because I’m ready to get involved. I’ve been pursuing something that’s been slightly out of reach for some time. A professional writing career. Granted, I haven’t done much other than produce writing in efforts of success. But this writing career hasn’t come to fruition either way. And I recently came into illustrating -as I mentioned before- and have since fallen in love with it -as I mentioned before. So this application felt very natural.
I’m applying for Early Decision specifically ‘cause I figure I’m applying to The Cooper Union anyway, I might as well get to it. I prefer to take care of things sooner than later. It’s the only school I’m applying to so I might as well do it right. And if an Early Decision application increases my chances of being accepted, bonus.
12. Considering the obvious limitations of this questionnaire as a one-way interview, provide us with an answer to an important question we have not asked. Why do you think you’d like living in New York and attending The Cooper Union?
Living in New York in itself would be quite alright. A city with such opportunity. I like living in Prague. But I just don’t think it has the right kind of opportunity. I’m certainly going to miss it when I leave, but I think there’re greater things going on in places like New York City. The pace. The people. I think there’d be a lot of opportunity for my writing. Plenty of publishing houses and magazines and whatnot. So even if it didn’t work out with visual art -which it most certainly would if I’m accepted to The Cooper Union- I could probably kick start something involving writing while in New York..And I have several connections living there. Both my brother and sister live in the city. Or nearby. And I have many friends living in the area. People I’ve met while traveling and while attending high school. So even without the social connections I’d surely make through The Cooper Union, I’d have contacts in New York.
I think I’d like attending The Cooper Union ‘cause it’d be a massive renovation of my life. My life is fairly high speed, but it’s not high octane. I think attending The Cooper Union would rocket propel the future forward. I try to imagine what it would be like to live and attend school in Manhattan -or at least attend school in Manhattan- for four years. Wow. That’d be something. The people I would meet. The things I would create at The Cooper Union. I think it’d be nothing short of spectacular.