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Creativity at home: How IE University students found ways to be productive

During lockdown, many of us found ourselves with more time on our hands than normal. While these restrictions were challenging, for some of our dynamic students it gave them the opportunity to explore their artistic sides.

In this post, we take a look at some of the creative projects that our students have been getting involved in during their time in quarantine. Together, they demonstrate the unbreakable IE University mindset as they share their creations with the world.

PROJECT: (RE)VIVAS

STUDENT(S) RESPONSIBLE: María Alejandra Vivas

DEGREE STUDIED: Bachelor in Communication and Digital Media, 4th year

Originally from Costa Rica, María Alejandra is a student who has managed to connect her love of art with her love of communication and connection. Through her Instagram profile, she encourages people to send her something important to them that she then turns into a piece of art.

What is your project and what is its main purpose? 

My project is called (RE)VIVAS, which comes from both my last name (Vivas) and from the word “revivir,” which means to relive. It is an Instagram profile that uses memories and human connection to combine art and communication. Anyone can participate—they send me a memory, anecdote, or piece of advice, alongside a picture that they would like to post, which I design and paint so it looks like a painting. I then post it with the anecdotes and key parts of their story. I also post my own stories or talk about different topics that I believe are important to acknowledge. 

All of us are shaped by a combination of memories, stories, anecdotes, experiences, and advice. The idea is to relive moments together by connecting humans all around the world through stories.

We live in a fast-paced world where we often don’t stop to help others and sometimes we feel alone. We think we are the only ones that feel the way we do. In my life, I have learned to appreciate the power of what we say, feel, or create. Not only can we change someone’s point of view, we can elicit certain emotions or do something they remember for the rest of their lives. We all have different stories, but we are connected to them by emotions and I think that there is no better time than right now to relive these moments.

How did you come up with the idea? Are you doing it alone? 

As a communicator, my goal in life is to be able to evoke emotions in others. I have always loved volunteering, giving speeches, offering counseling —anything that can help at least one person. Another part of me has always been interested in art. I have drawn and painted my whole life. I’m also that person that remembers something that happened three years ago. I actually collect different objects that many people would never keep like bracelets from parties, a brochure from tours, pictures and so on. I love to go back in time and relive those moments. I wanted to take all of these passions and combine them. 

All this came together to create (RE)VIVAS, a safe space for everyone to relive their own moments. Many friends and I have gone through both difficult and beautiful moments. Sometimes they don’t share what they’ve experienced because they are afraid of what people may think. I have learned that many times those untold stories are the ones that can make a bigger impact in the world.

I put it off for a long time, but now with everything that is going on in the world I knew that nothing was holding me back. It still has a long way to go but I am excited to have a voice and to know that I am giving a voice to others by reliving their memories.

I am working on this project alone, but what I love about it is that I can connect many of the stories to a bigger topic. I take time to look at the people’s projects and share them on my platform so more people can see them, whether they’re podcasts, companies that they own, volunteer projects, and so on.

What impact has your project had?

As I mentioned before, I love to connect with others—not just talk about my own experiences but also everyone else’s. It’s about showing people different sides to their own stories. Plus, they also end up with a painting of what they wanted to relive. It creates an impact because it is not only a single topic. We talk about everything. I feature people from all around the world, and the beauty of it is that everyone can relate to it in their own way. For me, the biggest impact is for at least one person to feel connected to another person through (RE)VIVAS.

PROJECT: Danherrp

STUDENT(S) RESPONSIBLE: Daniela Herrero Puerta

DEGREE STUDIED: Bachelor in Communication and Digital Media, 3rd year

Daniela is from Madrid, Spain and has spent her time during lockdown creating various forms of artistic content that ranges from videos to clothes. The project is called “Danherrp” and draws its inspiration from people, fashion, colors, and various cultures.

What is your project and what is its main purpose? 

My project consists of videos, collages, and clothes—using traditional and digital techniques—all of which are inspired by people, fashion, colors, and cultures. I am fascinated by the way people act and how they express themselves through fashion. At the same time, cultures are essential in my artwork to give color and feeling to my creations.

Fashion is also essential to my paintings and one of my main sources of inspiration. Alongside using digital and traditional artistic devices, I try to create my own clothes whenever I have time or customize ones I’ve bought with my own designs. In the end, I’ve created a diverse portfolio that does not follow any exact theme, but is easily recognizable due to the use of colors and shapes.

How did you come up with the idea? Are you doing it alone? 

I have been creative since I was very little and art has always been present in my life. I am naturally active but in these last two years at IE University, I have been more creative than ever. I think this bachelor has helped me learn ways to think differently, which is key when creating content.

I love working in groups but when it comes to art content, I prefer to do it alone so that I can focus entirely. I don’t follow any weekly routine; I just create whenever I feel like it or when people ask me for drawings that obviously require a deadline. Sometimes I do it in one sitting, and sometimes it takes me longer.

How is the project evolving during quarantine?

Quarantine has helped me a lot in developing and improving my portfolio. There were some difficult weeks where I didn’t have the time or inspiration to create, but I also had many days where I painted and customized different pieces. It’s satisfying to find your creativity and feel encouraged to keep creating content, especially in these difficult times. Fortunately, I had some orders from people during quarantine that kept me motivated.

What impact has your project had? How do you share it with others?

I don’t really know what impact my art can have on other people. I feel that it has to do more with perceptions; it depends on each individual’s view and how they want to perceive it. Art is more of a way to self express whatever I am feeling, and it’s an essential tool to promote fashion in many different ways. I hope that what I do inspires others to create, drawing from whatever they are feeling at that moment.

PROJECTS: Judge As You Like & Unapologetic

STUDENT(S) RESPONSIBLE: Julia Costa (and Valeria Mendez)

DEGREE STUDIED: Bachelor in Communication and Digital Media, 3rd year

Instagram: @judgeasyoulike | @byunapologetic

Although originally from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Julia has lived in Dubai since she was ten years old until she moved to Spain to study at IE University. Putting her free time to good use, Julia is currently developing two separate projects: “Judge As You Like” and “Unapologetic”. The first, Judge As You Like, is an art account where Julia experiments with video, photography, and graphic design. Her second project, Unapologetic—which she is developing alongside fellow communications student Valeria Mendez—involves bringing awareness to different social issues, while putting class learning into practice.

What are your projects and what are their main purposes? 

Judge as You Like

My first project, Judge As You Like, began a little over a year ago. Although I’ve had a passion for photography since middle school and have always loved painting and drawing, I only developed an interest in creating a photography and art account when I came to IE University. I was inspired after a semester experimenting with photography and videography alongside graphic design. I didn’t set out to have lots of followers, but I decided to create the page to have my photography and my art published in some way—even if the audience is rather small.

The name “Judge As You Like” was intended to be a simple play on words, since I didn’t want to incorporate my name or identity into the page name. I wanted to let the photos speak for themselves while being judged—whether positively or negatively—by those who saw them. 

Unapologetic

Unapologetic” is more complicated. A year ago, a friend of mine that also studies communication had an abstract idea of a long-term project where we use what we learn in different classes, while raising awareness of issues affecting groups of people worldwide. We developed the idea and decided to call it “Unapologetic,” as we aim to unapologetically raise awareness and (possibly) solutions to different global issues. We also want our followers and the people we interview to be unapologetic about their emotions and the topics that matter to them. 

How did you come up with the idea? Are you doing it alone?  

Judge As You Like

I created all the images and the art on Judge As You Like, apart from the three latest ones. 

Unapologetic

I work on Unapologetic with Valeria Mendez, who also studies the Bachelor in Communication and Digital Media. We take turns directing, styling, filming, editing, shooting, and designing/illustrating them. We usually come up with the ideas individually, and then share them with each other to develop them together. We distribute the work evenly and there are things that Val has taught me, and things that I teach her. That’s part of what I love about the two of us working together—it’s never a competition, we grow together. 

How is the project evolving during quarantine?

Judge as You Like

The first few photos were taken from previous trips and experiences. I continued building on this with newer photos as the year went on, until quarantine put an end to that. I mostly like photographing crowded places and capturing the expressions or behaviors of different people. I feel it highlights what all humans share in common—emotion.

However, as I could not leave my house during lockdown, I figured I could try and experiment with different ways to take photos of myself. During the first month and a half of isolation, I directed a series of shoots. My mother took the photos, most of which are of me and are yet to be uploaded. I plan to incorporate short films and more in the near future, hopefully using other people as subjects.

Unapologetic

We really began Unapologetic this January, and we’ve got a long way to go. We filmed the first video around a month before quarantine began, and edited and posted the video at the start of quarantine, after midterms.

Our plan was to shoot as many as we could before June. However, as our subjects are primarily IE University students, we weren’t able to. Fortunately, we both came back to Dubai to be with our families, and we had the chance to redirect our strategy, adapt to the current situation, and to make do with what we have until classes begin again. A lot more is underway!

What impact has your project had? How do you share it with others?

Judge as You Like

As I said, I mostly like photographing crowded places and capturing their emotions. Nevertheless, viewers can deduce whatever they’d like from the content published, which is why I hardly ever caption or title them. 

Unapologetic

Unapologetic has the specific purpose of “emphasizing and connecting the importance of bringing taboo topics into the perspectives of the public – empowering everyday people; starting conversations.” It also seeks to “[encourage] society to join us on this journey towards acceptance amongst and within ourselves.”

It’s particularly interesting and gratifying that right after some of the interviews, students thanked us for the chance to speak up on camera. This feedback allowed Val and I to know that we were doing the right thing. The video was released in March, and at the end of May, more people surprisingly discovered it, after two months of relative inactivity.

The new positive feedback encouraged Val and I to push through and really keep developing a plan for this difficult time. Right now we are taking the time to develop the project and learn about several issues in order to create helpful and engaging content.

Bachelor in Communication and Digital Media Banner

Creativity is the driving force of innovation and change. Each of these projects masterminded by IE University students demonstrates this. As they keep moving forward and developing their passions, we’re sure the results will be impactful and long-lasting.

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