Artist Statement

Draft 1

Erica Bennett
4/29/2025

I'm a multi-passionate creative who taps into art and storytelling, not only to integrate the many facets of myself into a unified whole, but also to teach others how to infuse their own lives with meaningful creative expression.

If I were to pick one word to describe my artistic practice, it would be "eclectic." I'm a multi-passionate creative who uses various materials and tools to explore a diverse array of subjects, depending on what inspires me at the time. One month I could be creating digital still-life paintings, and the next I could be creating mixed media greeting cards.

When I sit down to create a piece, I consider what medium I think would best suit the subject matter. I want to convey. For example, watercolor works well for outer space, where colors bleed into each other naturally, but for a stylized illustration of a feminine figure, I'd probably grab my alcohol markers and fineliner pens. Sometimes I'll sketch out my ideas first, but most often, especially with mixed media cards and canvases, I work intuitively, testing out materials and combinations until I've found a direction, and then adding material until I feel a sense of completion.

Back in middle school, when I was first learning how to draw, I followed anime tutorials I found on the internet. I gravitated toward other animated art styles as well, such as those found in classic Disney movies or the cartoons drawn by Bruce Timm. I still see echoes of these influences in my illustrations. I also take a lot of inspiration from Impressionism, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau.

Being multi-passionate isn't without it's challenges, however. Because my work is so varied, it's difficult to pin down a distinct style. But being eclectic can also be a superpower. I focus on interdisciplinarity over specialty, which allows me to make connections between subjects that others might not notice. In a similar vein, I use art and other creative hobbies as a means to integrate the different facets of my self, instead of compartmentalizing them. Balance and Unity are key formal principles that I often explore in my work, regardless of medium.

Comments and Suggestions

  • Me:
    • Needs better transitions between talking points; kind of reads like a bullet list. The irony of me writing comments on my own work in a bullet list is not lost on me, lol. A lot of my notes tend to be chunked into bullets, so it's a hard habit to step away from.
    • Actual conclusion?
    • not an academic essay
  • Desiree
    • pull out a few statements that communicate what you're trying to get across and put them into a single paragraph; polished higher level statement
      • can use a longer journey-style statement in other cases
      • write different versions depending on where you're submitting
    • strongest paragraphs are the first two and the fourth
    • take out or restate multi-passionate as a superpower; the sentence following is a stronger statement
    • focus more on process over influences
    • rewrite with the changes and see how you feel about it; does the tone match your intention?
    • better word than interdisciplinarity
      • multi-disciplinary
    • talk more generally about materials instead of calling out specifics
    • book recommendation: Daily Rituals by Mason Currey, to help with feelings of disconnection
    • not for the statement
      • pick out your favorite pieces that you've done and make a list of all the things you like about them
      • pick out your least favorite pieces and make a list of all the things you don't like about them
      • based on what you like, how much do you want to replicate that?
      • make time for low-stakes artistic play, not finished pieces

Draft 2

8/11/2025

My Submission

Artist Bio

Erica Bennett is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses various mediums and tools to explore a diverse array of subjects. She's most often drawn to explorations of identity and unity of self in her works. For example, projects such as her parody trailer of "Memento" and her charcoal still-life "Memories of Friendship" explore how memory shapes our sense of self in relation to the world and to other people.

Erica's most recent projects that she's excited about are the writing and producing of an audio drama inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, and the completion of a month-long art challenge where she created a digital painting study every day for 31 days. She has a Bachelor's in English from the University of Central Missouri, with a minor in Creative Writing, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Art Studies from Arizona State University, with a minor in Animation.

Artist Statement

As an artist who works with multiple mediums, Erica Bennett creates each piece intuitively and with curiosity, testing out different modes of expression to find the ones that fit the story she wants to tell. These stories often involve science fiction or fantasy elements and a level of emotional resonance.

In an ideal world, she has the opportunity to use multiple mediums during the creation of a single piece. On a conceptual level, she uses her creative practice to integrate the different facets of her self into a unified whole. She hopes that her audience will come away from her work feeling that sense of unity for themselves.

Draft 3

8/27/2025