A VISUAL PRESENTATION:
I have always been drawn to media and technology, becoming skilled at it from a young age while growing up in a time of rapid, constant change.
When smartphones took off, my friends would borrow their parents phones to play games like Doodle Jump and Minecraft. While I was hooked on those too, I spent even more time exploring my creativity on early digital editing apps.
Early exploration
At 9 years old, I remember pasting stickers on photographs, and exploring the meaning of “filters”. This initial curiosity has become my passion for digital media.
Progression
Once I had a device of my own, my interest in editing accelerated. I scoured through countless editing apps, and was consumed with learning their features.
Experimenting with colors and basic tools, doodling over my own photographs, and creating edits of my favorite celebrities led me to have greater ambitions for this craft.
logo Collection
My peers began to recognize my skills. They turned to me for all their editing needs. With requests such as “erase the person in the background” to “design a logo for my company,” I found myself doing it all! It has been rewarding to be known for this expertise, and my sphere has grown to include friends-of-friends and so on, who also contact me before they post online!
school social media
The idea for @oysterbaystudents originated in March 2020 when schools had shut down due to COVID-19. I missed my daily routine and human connections as a high school student. I contacted the school’s executive administration, to promote my idea of creating an Instagram page.
Once approved, I diligently crafted content that fostered connections between the students, parents, and staff while we were forced to be in isolation. I set up numerous teacher live-streams, school related games such as word searches allowing for student involvement, and a couple of video compilations featuring well-known faculty members.
The account’s popularity rose, and it became a growing hit amongst everyone in our local community.
pErsonal
projects
Digital prints — Everyday motivation
Amelia Hahn — SMAD 201
COMING OF AGE… ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
Consistency was most important to me when I began creating layers for this project. I chose to feature U.S. Presidents in each layer, starting with Grover Cleveland in Youth because we share a March 18th birthday. Teddy Roosevelt symbolizing Growth, as I spent much of my childhood exploring Sagamore Hill, his summer home and a historic landmark near where I grew up. Finally, James Madison represents my Current stage, reminding me of my college decision process as well as my love for this school where being a tour guide, I get to walk around promoting JMU to prospective students/families in hopes that they will join me here.
Care Bears® are a recurring theme in each layer of my work. I’ve always had an affinity for them because their mission is to capture and express human emotions. As their website explains, 'In the complex world of human communication and emotional expression, the Care Bears® help people share their feelings with others.'"
Throughout my life I have always made the extra effort to encourage those around me to vocalize how they are feeling and communicate with one another- this is one of the reasons I chose the Communication Studies Minor!
In the Youth album, I included the 'Birthday Bear,' the Care Bear with a cupcake on its stomach, which represents celebration. This layer highlights my early childhood, when teddy bears brought comfort, and I found joy in celebrating even the smallest moments. I connected the Birthday Bear to Grover Cleveland, who shares my March 18th birthday, and to the overall theme of growing up and the significance of those formative years.
The second layer features a cutout of 'Funshine Bear,' the Care Bear full of sunshine and fun. This bear embodies an enthusiasm for life and its possibilities, always striving to ensure everyone has a good time, no matter the circumstances.
That spirit reflects who I was in middle and high school, constantly working to bring fun and positivity to an environment many found difficult. I was deeply involved in student council, leadership clubs, community service, and running the senior yearbook, and my peers even nominated me as 'Most School Spirited.' After the global pandemic and remote learning, I made it my mission to give myself and my friends an unforgettable senior year, and despite many safety restrictions, I succeeded.
The Present layer features the 'Good Luck Bear.' Born right around St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve always felt connected to four-leaf clovers as a symbol of luck. In the summer of 2023, I finally found a real four-leaf clover in a field where I had searched for years—a moment I saw as a lucky sign! I photoshopped an image of that clover onto the Good Luck Bear’s stomach, blending the idea of 'real life' with the concept of luck and manifesting continued fortune for the future.
Fall 2023
