The most recent struggle (for me) was portfolio day.
The child has art safely stashed in a cardboard portfolio in a corner of the dining room.
Portfolio Day is an event. Representatives from the art schools across the country show up at a pre-determined location and review portfolios for the kids.
For an artist, grades and high SAT scores are not enough. They also have to have a portfolio. The portfolio is reviewed as a major part of the admissions process. At portfolio day, the admissions officers review portfolios. For Juniors, they make suggestions based upon the current portfolio for improvement. For Seniors, they will accept a portfolio. This is huge, as online portfolio submissions only allow a student to submit 12 -20 pieces, and they are all digital copies of what they have done.
Since daughter is a junior, she was interested in the critique and the suggestions.
Our first challenge came when we realized that the cardboard portfolio was not the most efficient way (or safest for her art) to transport items around.
So, we set off to buy a portfolio. I had a 50% off coupon to Michael's, so we went there. After way too much discussion and agonizing, she decided upon a portfolio that has a strap, so that she could sling it across her body, and carry it easier.
Then, came the agony of what to wear. After much research, and conversations with her art teachers at school, she decided to dress as she would for a job interview. Of course, the weather was cold, windy, and in the teens!
After school let out, she spent an afternoon going through the portfolio with her art teachers, deciding what pieces showcased her abilities the best.
Last Sunday morning, we headed to the Maryland Institute, College of Art (MICA) bright and early. We took the tour of campus, ate in the dining hall, and then mentally prepared ourselves to stand in lines. Holy cow.... those lines were unbelievable!
Since daughter is a junior, she "short lined" it. If the line was short, she stood in it to have them review her portfolio and take their suggestions. Unbelievably, by the end of the afternoon, the lines at the "big" schools were short! She was able to get reviews from the schools she really wanted, as well as excellent schools that she was not that familiar with.
She got the reviews she needed. She found that there is a very big difference in what schools are looking for in a portfolio based upon whether the school follows a contemporary or classic philosophy.
She knows what skills she needs to work on over the next year.
She did have a couple of friends from our high school who's portfolios were accepted at portfolio day.
And me? I struggled not to be a helicopter parent. I did not stand at the tables while her portfolio was being reviewed. Her art is her own. If she can't handle the review process, or speak for herself, she doesn't belong in the field. I also didn't want to intimidate the reviewers or my daughter by hovering while they were talking.
So, I spent my time sitting on benches or floors in the main hallways.
I cruised Facebook.
I called my Mom.
I took a lot of pictures.
When we left, daughter was happy and content. She'd discovered new schools she wants to look into. She told me what the comments and suggestions were.
Even better, she thanked me for leaving her alone and letting her handle everything on her own. She told me it made her feel like an adult, and let her know that I trust her to handle herself.
Nobody knows how hard it was for me to sit back and let her handle this on her own. (OK, maybe you do... If you have kids of your own.)
But to hear her thank me for letting her handle it in her own?
Priceless.
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