Artist's Statement

My name is Iya Hawkins, I'm from Brooklyn but both my parents are originally from Jamaica. I’m a sophomore at Hunter College pursuing a Media Studies degree. I’m still debating whether or not to choose a concentration in journalism or emerging media or to pursue a General Media Studies degree. I took Media 150 last year and enjoyed learning how to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I thought it was really interesting and helped me to gain a greater perspective on the graphic design aspects of media.

I’ve always been interested in writing and made a habit of keeping a journal when I was younger. I bought a new journal recently, but I haven’t made a commitment to writing in it often so there a big chunks of time missing, I’m talking about months apart.  I really enjoy writing although I forget to write in my journal, including essays if they follow a topic that’s interesting. I love watching youtube and I find commercials really interesting. I might try going into advertising or marketing but I’m not sure yet. One of the things I find the most interesting about Media is that you have control over what people/the public sees. The content you produce is being experienced and sometimes affect the lives of the people who see it, which is powerful but also kind of scary.

Fun fact, I’m a pescatarian and I love traveling. A lot of people say they love traveling and I sort of feel as if it’s a generic statement, but I feel like I have to mention it. I’ve traveled to Jamaica multiple times, and visited Costa Rica years ago, but I recently took my first trip to Europe(London and Paris) which was really great. I’m thinking of purchasing one of those big scratch off maps that you keep in your room so you can keep track of all the places you’ve been.