Five Questions for Freshmen 2021
Congratulations to Princeton’s new freshmen class, the Class of 2025! To get to know this new class, Princeton Arts Alumni recently sent freshmen five questions and asked them send us their answers in 500 characters or fewer. We hope to continue this project in upcoming years to see how answers provided by freshmen change over time.
Big thanks to our respondents Michelle Liu, Emily Yang, and Audrey Tianyu Zhang. Read on to learn more about them!
Michelle Liu
Edison, New Jersey
Prospective Computer Science Major
Where do you often get stuck when you are creating?
“My biggest blocks are usually mental rather than physical—I often suffer from analysis by paralysis, a reluctance to start without a seemingly ‘perfect’ idea, and scope creep. Recently, I’ve been challenging myself to pick up a pencil and draw something spontaneously every day, without planning meticulously in advance or getting hung up over trying to revise the idea. Going with the flow has allowed art to return to a therapeutic hobby for me rather than a strive for perfection.”
Emily Yang
Sylva, North Carolina
Prospective Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Major
What is the meaning or purpose of arts in your life?
“‘Art isn’t just a way to make a living—it’s a way of living,’ an art teacher of mine once said. No matter what, I don't think my life would be complete without the arts. Bold claim, but it’s been true thus far. I’ve been writing, or drawing, or performing almost all my life; I can’t imagine a me without the arts as a part. To me, the arts are a powerful tool for expression, communication, and even action—and beyond that, they’re fulfilling in and of themselves to create and receive.”
Where do you often get stuck when you are creating?
“I never seem to finish anything. Everything always ends halfway there—or if I do finish it, then it seems impossibly difficult to edit, because in that moment the work seems imperfect and complete of itself. But maybe every part is difficult, and every part finds me just as likely to get stuck—the inertia to start, the resolve to keep going, the ongoing choice to never settle and always be editing and bettering.”
What is your favorite medium/tool/software, and why?
“My phone has been my trusty companion and writing medium for several years now. Portable, versatile—good for jotting down quick thoughts or writing longer-form works. It's even been a muse before: I've written one or two (objectively questionable, but fun conceptually) poems inspired by my phone. Though, I find that the medium informs the writing, even through aspects such as typeface and window size, so lately I've been experimenting with other mediums for writing like laptops and longhand.”
What do you hope you will have achieved, creatively, after four years at Princeton?
“Here at Princeton, I keep telling myself to lean in, lean in, lean in. Lean into the uncertainty—lean into the uncomfortable, the not knowing. To let these four years be a metamorphosis, a transformation. I hope that I will always be looking, always learning, never losing sight of the little joys and great wonders of sharing a space with these brilliant people, and that at the end of this short span/this eternity/these four years, I will look back with fondness at how much I've grown.”
Audrey Tianyu Zhang
Levittown, New York
Prospective Art & Archaeology Major (Practice of Art Track)
What is the meaning or purpose of arts in your life?
“Art is my clarion for change, my encapsulator of thought, and my loom for links of love across time and space. Art is my voice—art is a language with which I can distill the information in our world into its most beautiful and essential parts, which I then share with others.”
Who or what provides the most significant creative inspiration for you?
“I find the most creative inspiration in life, people, and time. With life, just by paying attention, I can see beauty all around me. With people, by listening, I can understand them and feel inspired. With time, I can know myself better and create art that is true to me.”
Where do you often get stuck when you are creating?
“When creating, sometimes I will render too many details all across the page, which flattens my image. I must learn to choose which areas to emphasize and which ones to let go of, to let be.”
What is your favorite medium/tool/software, and why?
“My favorite medium is watercolor because it reflects our inner states and enables us to appreciate the present more. I used to fear watercolor the most, but after some practice, guidance from my watercolor teacher, and patience, I came to love the medium. Watercolor taught me to face my fears and be more open to life’s possibilities.”
What do you hope you will have achieved, creatively, after four years at Princeton?
“After four years at Princeton, I hope to have explored many different mediums such as graphic design, photography, sculpture, and more. I want to strengthen my artistic voice and vision. I strive to create more exciting artwork that inspires people to dream and view our world more positively.”