Two weeks ago, creatives across UC San Diego scrambled to produce art projects as their deadline quickly approached. Whether they were wrapping up production of their music, editing their short films, or delicately making their final stitches, the same question was on all of their minds: Who would be the winner of the first-ever Create-A-Thon?
Earlier this month, student organization Out The Archive launched its very first Create-A-Thon, a weeklong art competition that culminated in a showcase at The Loft in Price Center on Jan. 16. UCSD students presented original art themed around “Becoming” that they had started only the week before.
Student creatives submitted work in categories such as website design, physical media, clothing design, music, or film. To judge the event, OTA invited local creatives to sit on a panel.
Fourth-year Camille Casiles, director and co-founder of OTA, explained that the OTA board members pulled from their personal artistic influences to select local judges they felt could truly appreciate student art.
“We tapped into people that we’ve come across and been inspired by in our own lives,” Casiles said.
This spirit of connecting student artists to San Diego’s art scene is evident from the judges to the Create-A-Thon’s sponsor: San Diego Made Factory, an artist collective that offers maker spaces for creatives.
Judges evaluated artists on criteria such as creative thinking, originality, execution, and craft to choose a winner from each category. Winners received one month of access to San Diego Made Factory. Judges also answered questions from the audience and OTA co-founders about creativity in their day-to-day lives.
“People think that being creative is some sort of title; being a creative is just who you are,” San Diego-based DJ and Create-A-Thon judge Josh “GIGGZ” Gagan said. “Use life as inspiration to keep creating something bigger and better for the world.”
Third-year Brandon Moreno, OTA member, embodied this principle in the two music pieces he submitted. Moreno emphasized that the time crunch of Create-A-Thon pushed him to finish work he had been hesitating to complete before.
“I started stepping out of my shell and then started doing more things,” Moreno said. “I try to do my best and be a part of it and get something out there.”
Moreno’s songs are titled “Without Me” and “Where I’m Going.” Both ambient songs embrace a nostalgic, dreamy feeling of a young person’s life that is rapidly changing as they grow into adulthood.
His experiences growing up inspired his pieces for the competition and his embrace of the showcase’s theme.
“[‘Where I’m Going’] was about the process of change that happens when you find somebody you want to love or find somebody who loves you back,” Moreno said. “You find yourself changing these little bits of yourself that you didn’t like before. … The whole song was about that journey.”
In her fashion design presentation, category-winner fourth-year Leanna Gower reimagined a piece that she had previously presented for TREND Magazine’s fashion show last year. She titled the new piece “Sea Change.”
“It’s inspired by the idea that we’re always in flux, always in motion, and one step closer to becoming who we truly are,” Gower said.
The history of the garment is evoked in its visual product; when Gower created the original piece, the dress was an accurate representation of her skill and creativity level. Now, a year later, Gower is revisiting the piece with new sewing techniques.
“I wanted to transform it into something new that feels closer to who I am and closer to who I want to become,” Gower said.
Second-year Theresa Doan took home the trophy in the film design category with her short film titled “The Life Contract.” Inspired by the new year and her rapidly approaching 20s, Doan tells the story of a person forced to sign a contract confirming they will never deviate from the life plans they have set out for themselves.
“Thinking back on my life, I feel like I haven’t done much and I feel like I could be doing more,” Doan said. “I’m hitting this period in my life where I feel kind of lost. I want to tell stories, but I don’t know how I want to do that yet.”
During the screening of her short film, the other creatives in the audience shed tears, perhaps thinking about their own “life contracts.” The last thing on everyone’s minds was who won each category.
In the center of The Loft, as the judges were deliberating outside, the lights darkened, and the familiar melody of “This Love” by Maroon 5 reverberated around the room, performed by student band Skyline. Even as the judges returned to present the prizes, the crowd chanted for an encore. All anyone could do was congratulate each other — dancing, singing, laughing, and building lasting memories with similar-minded creatives from every corner of campus.
