By J. Faith Malicdem // Dec. 21, 2019
PieFaces, it is my honor to introduce the ever-so-talented Christine Park! She swiped up on a call for illustrators I posted on my story, and when I saw it was her who messaged me, my heart skipped. I was immediately taken back to the time I found her on the seventh floor kitchen cooking up the most extravagant egg and avocado toast combo. Little did I know she was passionate about the same things I am: journalism and art. Be on the lookout for her artwork and other contributions!
What drew you to writing/photography/the art you craft?
I’ve wanted to be a journalist since the fourth grade. I was immediately drawn to the idea of being able to present something that was happening right in front of my eyes to a greater audience and I’ve just been chasing this little dream of mine ever since. I did a program with the New York Times over one summer and I was the Photo Editor for my high school newspaper for two years. Now I just finished help producing Good Morning Emerson and I’m taking up an editorial position for the Beacon next semester which I’m pretty stoked about. I’m pretty sure I got my knack for art from my dad, or fathership as I like to call him. He’s one of the best artists I know. You can never see me sitting still because all I can think about is what creative thing can I come up with next. Whether its through photography, illustrating, or cooking avocado toast on the 7th floor kitchen, I’m always trying to utilize my creativity to the best of my ability.
What do you typically write about? Do you have a specific style of writing? A specific format?
Aside from hardcore news stories, I like delving into short opinion pieces and editorials just to show a Gen Z perspective in a *ahem* boomer-dominated world.
Do you have any authors/journalists/poets/critics/photographers of any kind who you look up to? Have they heavily influenced your work? In what way?
My favorite journalist and arguably one of the greatest journalists is definitely Ronan Farrow. He’s the one who opened up the investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s past with sexual abuse and he is someone who really created a path for himself when it comes to investigative journalism. I really admire him for his fearlessness and courage for taking on a topic that was kept secret in Hollywood. I’ve been a fan of David Muir for as long as I can remember though. He’s the one who really inspired me to become a journalist. I distinctly remember getting up one day in fourth grade and watching his coverage of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. I remember wanting to be like him, reporting the news and sharing it with everyone he could. As for photographers, Matthieu Paley is someone that I’ve been following for quite some time. His portraits and landscape shots are absolutely breathtaking and they make me feel as though I am the one traveling the world and immersing myself in these incredible cultures.
Do you see a future for yourself in writing/photography? If so, in what way(s)? If not, what are your general life aspirations?
Prior to coming to college I was pretty dead set on being an anchor but now I think I like being a correspondent more or being behind the scenes as a producer. I like having a little creative freedom which is why you’ll see me doing illustrations and videos here and there. We’ll see though.
Which tends to take reign in your writing/photography: your brain or your heart?
I’d say both. I always have these crazy ideas that come to me but it’s all up to the amount of passion I put in in order to create a product that I’m truly content with.
How are your creative works set apart from others?
I’m the kind of person who will spend days to work on something that might take others minutes, only because I want to make sure every detail is to my liking. Whether it’s watercoloring a contour portrait or animating a short advertisement, I like taking the time to make sure that the final product is something that truly reflects me as a person and reflects the amount of work I put into it.
What do you hope to contribute to Pie Face?
I’m only contributing as an illustrator for now but I hope that I’ll ultimately be able to put a smile on someone’s face through the artwork that I create :-)
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