Vanessa Mancuso (Class of 2025)
Blogger Role: Illustration
Major: Illustration
Minor: Animation
I chose Marywood because they were a good option for me financially, and I also heard of their Art program and how spectacular it was. I’m going to be honest, I did not research colleges or apply to many—I knew I wanted to apply to Marywood, but I randomly applied to two others outside of the area, too. Marywood was the most affordable for me, and I applied a bit late for college so I had to rush my response to the university. But now I’m really glad that I’m here at Marywood; I can’t help but feel that although my choosing of colleges felt like throwing darts at a board with a blindfold on, everything definitely worked out in the end. Also, as a really cool selling point, I found out after I had enrolled that the elevators in the Insalaco art building were created specifically to be an ‘art building’ elevator because it can carry really heavy sculptures and the like (which is so cool!!).
I am majoring in Art because I love art; I know that is such a typical and wishy-washy thing to say, but it really is true. I would be bored out of my mind if I had to have a career in anything other than art, and this degree will help me hone my skills so that I will feel prepared to go into the art field after I graduate (however that might be). If I wasn’t at college for art, I wouldn’t be in college at all. If I wasn’t in college, I would be in a job that would not be artistic because at my skill level, I would have felt too incompetent to even try my chance in the art field. As a result, I would have felt stifled by the 9-5 work week and probably would barely have the chance to create. Therefore for me, majoring in art is really the only thing that makes sense for me right now.
When I’m not in class, I’m at my house doing school work or procrastinating on said school work. I’ve already been in college for two years, and my time management is still worse than that of a fifth grader’s. I try to make time for myself to create and do fun things (and I’m hoping that between my art classes and this blog, I’ll feel more inspired to create), but I never have the time. I always tell myself I’ll prepare for classes so I can create, and then I end up scrolling on social media or watching TV. There are times when I have this itch to create, and I force myself away from schoolwork so that I can create something for me. It really helps, and sometimes, I’m actually in a decent headspace to work after that.
So far, my favorite art class at Marywood was not one certain class! I seriously can’t pick a class. I’ve only had one semester at Marywood so far, and out of every single class, I seriously can’t choose. I love all my classes for different reasons, and I promise that if I actually had a favorite class, I would mention it. I liked my Digital Design class for the professor and the assignments (regardless of how much I struggle with anything digitally designed in the sense of Photoshop), and I also liked my art history class because it was so fascinating to learn about how people used to create art, and how the ways in which they lived and what they believed affected that. I took, I think six classes?, this semester, and so I’ll save you from the gory details, but what I can say is that every single professor in my classes had this unequivocal love and passion for what they taught that inspired me to care about each and every class, and love each class (just about) equally.
“Every single professor in my classes had this unequivocal love and passion for what they taught that inspired me to care about each and every class, and love each class (just about) equally.”
When I graduate I don’t know what I’m going to do, and I’m coming to terms with being okay with that. I know that I really want a career with art involved somehow, and I have so many ways in which I want that to happen. For now, I’m focusing on learning skills; maybe I’ll find something in a class that I’ll truly fall in love with and know I want to pursue, but if not, I’m sure it’ll work out in the end somehow. With that said, I do know that I would like to try my hand at publishing a comic online after I graduate, but aside from that, I really am just waiting to see what happens.
I’d recommend the Art program at Marywood because all of the professors care so much. In fact, they care so much that, as a sentimental and emotional person, I’m surprised I haven’t cried about it already. All of the professors at Marywood that I’ve had care so much about the material in the course and are so knowledgeable in what they teach, but they care just as much about the students. In my art history class, Dr. Kocyba was a delight to have as a professor; she has traveled to so many fascinating places (many of which we’ve learned about in class), and her passion for her travels and art history really bring the material alive. Furthermore, I had a Two-Dimensional Design and Color class in which the acoustics were terrible; it only got worse as I sat in the back of the class and that was where the ventilation created the most noise. My professor, Michelle Corby, invested in a microphone/headset so that I (and the other students sitting in the back) could hear her when she taught. It was something that she didn’t have to do, but she did it anyway. I’d recommend the art program at Marywood because not only is the course material fun, but I genuinely don’t think I’d come across more dedicated and passionate educators in any other college.
The coolest thing I’ve done at Marywood so far was, I suppose, writing for this blog. I’m terribly shy and not the best at talking to people in person, but I feel very comfortable when I am sitting at my computer, alone with my thoughts and words; there is something therapeutic and honest about writing for me, and so this blog is a great opportunity to journal my experience at Marywood while practicing my writing. When my Digital Design Professor (and this blog’s editor), Sue Jenkins, mentioned the blog to me, I was really excited to be a part of it and really honored that she thought of me for it. I have yet to really do anything here at Marywood because I don’t have any friends to go with (although I did go to the Halloween Carnival and had a blast—who knew cotton candy ducks could be so cute?!), but I think that writing for this blog is pretty cool so I’d say this blog, final answer.
