Shaun Benedict Peregrina
Posted on October 7, 2024
Creativity in every human being is always a potential that is tapped. But to maximize it is something that art can fully realize. Since childhood, art classes have been injected into different subjects—may it be through crafts, performances, or more. We are taught that bursts of creativity are meant to be expressed skillfully. However, experiencing an art course as an iskolar ng bayan is something that does not limit itself to teaching per se, but rather encourages a semblance of investigative play with child-like wonder and imagination. It is a safe space of fully bridging neverending ideas among individuals. Creativity is further manifested within this great environment that nourishes us to be ourselves and yearn for more. This is what artistry in education is all about. As an Isko myself, I am deeply honored to have experienced classes that make us connect deeply with who we are and what we are meant to be. Classes that are not confined to the walls of a classroom, but make the world its source of learning.
However, the world has not been the best. It has been going against wills, hopes, and happiness from within. Prior to an arts course, I experienced trauma, pain, and suffering that caused me to not function at my best. I experienced defeat and loss of friends, relationships, and spaces that I called home. I lost that optimism where I saw everything as a source of inspiration; hence, I felt afraid that I may not succeed in moving forward in life. But life is not about successes or failures. Instead, it is the offspring of both worlds where we marry sky high and rock bottom. It is about how we go beyond the journey of always living penultimately. All of these, I come to realize from art itself, because for me, art is living the experience of imagination.
As a kid, I have always been fond of outbounds and field trips to museums, historic places, and such. I have always felt that the world was bigger and there will always be something more to gain from it. It has let me grow into this creative person, or so I believed. But those learnings I gained are what brought me up to date whenever I felt that I was met with inescapable shadows of defeat.
I got to experience going to an art convention the second time around. This time, I am not pressured by any academic requirement, my peers, or anything else. I went to the BLTX Expo like a kid who wanted to explore even more, and there I found… art.
I can say that I went there to experience not just the shared passion for creativity, but also the lived experiences and imaginations of different individuals. I experienced the connection between every soul living physically and imaginatively that flows through the small corners of the area. I feel it is a playground of not necessarily like-minded people but just ordinary people. It is a safe space built not to sell but to share the experiences artists and audiences have. It is a home for individuals where every decor surrounding the place is made with a value of pure heart, mind, and soul. It is where people listen, not for a sale but for a story to be told.
Stories born from the world we live in – a cruel yet magnificent one. Stories that came from women who live lives creatively and queer individuals who embrace life’s beautiful disgraces. Stories that make us the best of who we are and what we want the world to hear. This is the art that makes us the most powerful individuals in the world away from the male-dominated sphere. The art that allows us to feel welcomed, regardless of your age and the color of your skin. The art where we experience the world in our crafts, movement, and soul.
Shaun Benedict Peregrina is a Broadcast Media Arts and Studies student who centers on live and recorded productions. By being part of university-wide organizations, they have found passion in the fields of hosting, content creation, advertising, copywriting, and public communications.
[Photo credit: Kyhm Muzones. Forum involving rural women advocates.]
Photo credits: Assistant Professor Elaine Claire Villacorta, ARTS1 Students Jose Joseph Mapa (X2-3), Christyne Joie Saw (X2-3), Kyhm Muzones (X3-4)