Artist statement

In a world so crowded and connected, how does someone stand out? How can individuality thrive when the culture in our society dictates to act a certain way? I think just having an attitude of wanting to make a change or wanting to work on something in your own way is a path that could lead to truly unique journeys. I may not know what I want to make of my life yet, but I do like the learning process that comes with this doubt. The connections of the world that are available now only push further the amount of knowledge to take in. My name is John Gutierrez, and I want to learn how to present my ideas and views in as many ways possible.

I was born and raised in Queens, New York. When I graduated high school, I enlisted in the US Navy as an electrician and spent 4 years on the USS George H W Bush, an aircraft carrier homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. My reason for military service was to earn a college opportunity so I could go to college with help from the government, but I sometimes go back to Virginia as a reservist to do my old job.

When I applied to Hunter College, I was planning on being a Computer Science major. After realizing that the Calculus I had to take was easier than the computer programming involved in that major, I switched concentrations and decided try Media. The choices that this department offers seem broad which gives me more opportunities to see if one particular field would be my niche.

Most of the little experience I have with handling media either comes from me messing around on a computer with Photoshop to post something I find amusing online, and one digital photography class I took when I was a senior in high school. It was one of the few classes I enjoyed,

Keywords: Music, aesthetics, guitar, vintage, graphics, animation, classic, design

My Artist Statement

I love film because you can create whatever your imagination can make up, and the result of your imagination is art. Art is supposed to open your mind, make you think outside of the box and give you the artists perspective to certain things, whether it be a political, social, or cultural issue. My goal is to give you a different perspective on the issues of the modern world.

Being a hardcore gamer, I have seen crazy designs that will influence my work. Video games have gotten more intricate and elegant in their designs, their graphics crisper and more detailed. The amount of work being put in to the making of video games is the same amount that I put into my work. Dedication and determination is what my swimming coach taught me and something I seasoned over the years. You want something, you have to put in the work. That is my philosophy and I put that into my everyday life.

Artist Statement

Love. I love everything and everything fascinates me, why should there be a limit? Luckily there are no limits of mediums through which I can express myself. Clothes are an expression of self and ideas just as much as writing. Dance and photography can convey emotion and so can a film. I indulge in all aspects of expression.

In the abyss of the things I love. The past floats on top. The time before me. So I tend to be drawn to anything nostalgic. Whatever is present today builds on the past, so it is something important to appreciate. Indian culture captivates and surprises me even though I've been a part of it my whole life. It runs far back into history, and so much of it still survives despite progression and westernization. Bollywood movies. Colorful Sarees. Music. Urdu Poetry. Classical dance. The changing of languages every few kilometers. Cuisine. Architecture. Busy streets. Traditions. All snapshots of my culture. Appreciation of life and other cultures started with appreciating my own.

Art is enjoyment therefore I enjoy life. 

Artist Statement

If by manipulating images, producing something in my own reality or perhaps my own fantastical world, and have that be called media, and have the title of “Media Maker”, I suppose I could call myself an artist. I yearn for the pieces that I generate, to be a reflection of my self.  I want the media examples and videos that I produce, to be a canvas of creativity, wonder, and mystery. I love exposing the sensual dark but explicit nature of our society, and revealing those aspects in film, will be my motivation. I can recall watching vintage footage and montages and being utterly fascinated by them. The lighting, the script, the character analysis, are all great components of film, but the creativity is what I desire most. I want for those who view my work to feel the imaginative process even though they might not necessarily understand what my intentions were. Media offers such a level of freedom to those who not only produce it but also observe it. I clearly want to enlighten people with the intricacies of my work, but I do not want my productions to be perceived as pretentious and repetitive. My media will offer other interpretations of what is aesthetically pleasing and acceptable, by still maintaining the subject or subjects integrity. As a media maker, I will tell my story.

Artist Statement

Our ever expanding environment is the perfect platform for which to embrace the plethora of ideas and boundless knowledge the human experience provide us. With my aspiration to make aesthetically pleasing work, blending multimedia drives me to create, destroy, then reconstruct something meaningful through design, film, written word, and music.

I want to supply and present my audience with broad ideals and in result, manifesting their own. With a background in journalism, film, scribble art, radio production, and overall media studies, I strive to fuse an investigative nature with creative expressionism portrayed through the cinematic lens. To expose the world’s vulnerable mind and emotions to ultimately to speak on behalf of and define our generation. Together, through mixed media, we can find ourselves.

Artist Statement

As a student who is pursuing a career in journalism, photography has morphed from a hobby into a vital tool for journalism. With the field of journalism rapidly changing, many journalists are expected to become more than just news hunters and writers. In addition to writing and reporting skills, knowledge in photography, video production and graphic design are a must for the modern journalist.  

With a press of a button you can freeze, preserve, or capture, whichever you prefer, a moment in time. Without the use of words, the camera can produce a story or create a story that is not aligned with the photo's original context. In high school, I picked up analog photography and 35 mm film as a hobby, with no understanding of photography, teaching myself the ins and outs of the camera. Much like photography, the art of video and filmmaking can take storytelling even further.

As I progressed through my studies at Hunter College, I had been exposed to projects and other popular mediums.  One of those many mediums is video.  When I first had entered photography, I wouldn’t have imagined myself working with video.  What attracted me to the medium was the additional elements that are present, such as sound, and cinematography.  With this medium, I have much more control of how a story is told and delivered.  While words can be weaved into a story, they can only go so far, in terms of story telling.  Visuals for written pieces mostly rely on the readers, and how much they take away from the piece.  As a journalist, I believe that no matter the story, there is always a story to tell, and with the addition of video production, I have greater means of conveying these stories.

Artist Statement

As a graphic artist, having graduating from NYCCT with an Associates Degree, I love to look around for inspiration. I often need to get inspired before starting to make something on any Adobe program or on paper. There are a lot of artwork around the city everywhere we walk. From movie posters on kiosks to Times Square billboards, sometimes it's worth taking a second look at what is around us and recognize how these works are made.
Working my way up to hopefully becoming a professional graphic artist or an artist in general, I was taught to start off with basic shapes first. You can do anything and start building on what you want to make with that simple shape. Also, drawing with pen and paper helps to get ideas flowing. Pencil is not something you want to use because you want to practice to accept your mistakes and work forward from it. Having so many different ideas on paper is great especially when you can see that one or more of your ideas can go together.
I love going to art exhibits such as going to Society of Illustrators. It gives you a sense of what is going through other artists' mind and see how creative they really are. Some of these artworks are not made on the computer which makes it interesting to see how there are many different ways in going about making art.
As some writers may have writers block, I believe artists can have artist block. Sometimes, ideas may not come to you right away, but as you do more research and having to talk about it with a friend or two, your inner lightbulb may just spark.