People of Central: Christen Karasinski

Story and photo by Danielle Patrick 

Every Central Michigan University students’ majors are being affected differently during the pandemic. Whether it’s hyflex, online or hybrid, it changes how one learns. CMU sophomore Christen Karasinski, majoring in art with a concentration in graphic design, discusses what it’s like to be an art major in the pandemic.

When COVID-19 first appeared in March, Karasinski’s classes were online. At first, it was difficult for Karasinski because art is subjective. There’s no certain formula to follow, like most classes. She had to find materials in her  house to make certain pieces, and it was a challenge. Now that there are safety guidelines, her classes are hybrid. Karasinski and her classmates can meet online and meet in-person safely. By meeting in-person, Karasinski is able to use the resources that they provide to construct her projects. In the classroom, each student is six feet apart from one another. She is still able to collaborate with her classmates and they can critique each other’s work. She likes meeting in-person better than online because she feels  more structured and more focused to do her work.

Karasinski has struggled with finding motivation to complete tasks. Unfortunately, the pandemic didn’t help her.

“At first I was thinking, ‘Oh, we have so much time to be by ourselves, so I’ll save some things.’ Then, it got to that point where I had to do it and it wasn’t an option,” Karasinski said. “With being by yourself, there’s not people around you to motivate you, especially in class when we do critiques.”

To complete her artwork, she likes to listen to Jimmy Hendricks because he allows her to think freely. There’s no preference of where she creates art, as long as there’s music. Her favorite medium is painting because she loves the freedom that it entails.

Since her concentration is in graphic design, she likes to create art for other people.

“If I’m making art for someone else, I like to take different characteristics from different people and incorporate them into a composition,” Karasinski said.

In the future, she would like to work in advertising. Overall, she loves how good she feels when she gets something done and appreciates the effort that she has put into it.

“I love using my imagination and living in my own world with art,” Karasinski said.

With this in mind, Karasinski is passionate about art and how it can change one’s life.