Sophia Kurtz (left) and an example of her chalkboard art (right).
You may have encountered Sophia Kurtz’s (MechE 2T1) artwork on chalkboards in the Bahen Centre or maybe you’ve contributed to one of her sketchbooks filled with doodles from the Skule community. This week we chatted with Sophia to learn more about her lifelong hobby and the relationships she has built through her artwork.
“Drawing has been a lifelong hobby for me; I love challenging myself to learn new techniques or use a different medium,” Sophia said, “I have stacks of full sketchbooks and it’s really satisfying to look back and see how much I’ve learned over the years.”
For Sophia, drawing is more than just a creative outlet. She finds it helps her focus to have a pen and paper nearby to doodle during lectures. Throughout her time at MIE, she has used art as a way to connect with those around her and build a sense of community.
“I started a bit of a project in MIE where I would ask one of my peers or even a professor to add a doodle to my sketchbook and then I would transform it into something else. It was a really fun way to connect with my community and get out of my shell a little bit,” Sophia said, “I have a lot of appreciation for everyone who contributed– it’s a great keepsake to take on from my time at university.”
Professor Sinclair’s doodle transformed by Sophia.
Over the past year Sophia still managed to connect with others over art virtually. She hosted virtual art events on behalf of the Visual Arts Society every Friday from 5-6 pm.
“It was a lot of fun being able to share what we were working on and to just have some time at the end of the week to relax and work on art,” said Sophia.
Sophia encourages everyone to allow their creative side to take over every now and then.
“It’s great stress relief and allows for some much-needed time away from screens. Everyone can draw, you just need a pen or pencil and some paper. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t go as planned, the real beauty is in your growth as an artist and not the final product.”
You can see more of Sophia’s artwork on her Instagram account: @swimmingsofafishy.
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-Published April 20, 2021 by Lynsey Mellon, lynsey@mie.utoronto.ca
