The path through college is rarely a straight line. As artists, you have probably heard the saying “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” However, like most students pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you are doing so to start a long and fruitful career in the arts, which is why RMCAD prioritizes career preparedness so that the journey emboldens you for the destination. Esperanza Lovato is an Art Education student who enrolled at RMCAD in 2021 after six years in the Coast Guard. Lovato spent the Summer of 2023 as an educator at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. She shared with the RMCAD Blog how her journey so far has prepared her for this destination.
Lovato’s internship was centered around assisting with kids’ camps that taught students the value of art. Throughout the summer, Lovato walked her class through different mediums, such as painting or ceramics, and showed students how to create pride in their work. What she enjoys most is that her students are “free to play with art, be creative, and enjoy themselves.” Lovato said that she decided to become an educator because of her time as a buoy tender in the Coast Guard, where she learned that she loved teaching people new skills. She had always been passionate about art and creativity, so when she realized she could combine the two, that’s when she decided to go back to school.
Motifs of water can be seen across Lovato’s work, as an homage to her time in the Coast Guard, because that is where she “matured and grew into the person that I am today. It was very hard for me, so that is something I had to overcome. I’m proud of that.” This expression of personal experience is what is at the core of her teaching style as well. “I want to be a mentor for (my students) and teach them to use art to help them through life experiences,” says Lovato.
One of the biggest takeaways Lovato received from her internship at the Arvada Center is improved time management skills. The advice she gives to other RMCAD students who might be struggling with time management is to stay motivated. “Work-life balance and school-life balance are very hard in general, especially if you have a family, or if you have kids, or if a traumatic experience happens,” shares Lovato. “But, we have the freedom to do stuff that we’re interested in. I think using what you love in your creative process will keep you moving toward that end goal.”
Esperanza Lovato said that one of her biggest inspirations during times of change is a quote by Bruce Lee stating, “You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” If Lovato has learned anything from her time at RMCAD, the Coast Guard, and her internship, it is to be adaptable. Learning along the journey has prepared her for this destination and whatever comes next! To learn more about internship and job opportunities, visit the RMCAD Career + Alumni Services page.
Many of the quotes in this story have been edited for brevity and clarity by the author, but are meant to retain the significance and purpose of the original speaker.
