Introduction 1/22/15

Hello everyone! My name is Grace Shin and I am a senior at BASIS Scottsdale. In the final weeks of my senior year, I have the opportunity to step outside the halls of my school and participate in a personal research project. Instead of studying for a final or another AP test, I will use my time to apply what I have learned in the classroom in a "real-life" setting and combine two of my passions, art and science, to study the relationship between art and autism.

In the first couple years of my life I was sent away by my parents at the age of one when my older brother was diagnosed with autism. His violent behavior forced my parents to send me to Korea to live with our relatives. I started living with my brother from the age of four and our sibling relationship had a rocky start. In the beginning, Calvin did not possess communication or social skills. As a result, he used aggressive behavior to convey his thoughts to us. Obviously, this was a very difficult time for me and my family.

Since we couldn't use words or sentences, Calvin and I began to lose touch and a distance grew between us. This was the case until one day Calvin picked up a pencil. Pencil in hand, paper in front, Calvin started to draw and hasn't stopped since. As I matured, my interest in art grew as well. We finally reached a place where we could relate to each other.

Now twenty years old, Calvin has developed high-functioning skills in graphic design and uses most of the hours in the day at his desk drawing. Interested in how Calvin uses his art to convey his thoughts, I will research how abstract expression affects stress, anxiety, and other emotions.

I have reached out to SEEDs for Autism for my internship. Here, experts in ceramics, woodworking, and etc., train people with autism who have an artistic talent, hoping that one day these individuals can have their own business and integrate themselves into society. In my internship, I will focus on an individual in each different artistic sector and follow them through the entire process, observing how they brainstorm ideas, analyzing how art affects mood and focus, and witnessing how they take criticism or praise.

I'm very excited to begin this project and I hope you guys are too! This project will start on the week of February 15th and I can't wait. For a more detailed background, please click my link labeled "Proposal." See you guys soon!

Grace