Film student Brenden Smith challenges archetypes

“Where I get my inspiration from, I’m trying not to sound cheesy, but it’s the little things. A lot of times, when I think of stuff, I think in scenes. I think of a scene like, ‘I don’t know what this is, but it would be really cool to have this incorporated into something,’ and I kind of develop an idea around that. That comes from when I’ll be reading something, or watching a movie, or when I look at the news and stuff that’s actually happening.

I also think it’s really interesting to take the notion of a person or idea and then flip it. I like taking a preexisting idea and then challenging it and seeing how those ideas play out. I was working on something a while ago where this guy has to become best friends with the devil, but it’s not like the devil is the classic chivalrous yet evil dude; instead, he’s a kid with ADHD. It’s like 52 card pick up, just throwing the cards at the wall and seeing what hand you get.”

Dance student Chloe Williams connects with audience

“When I was younger, my sole purpose of dancing was to fulfill the image of a ballerina on stage with pretty costumes and makeup, but as I got older, I began to understand the art of dance. Once my professional dancing career started, I realized the impact a dancer can have on an audience is amazing, and the fact that I have the ability to create such strong emotion really inspires me.

Before I even think about choreography, I find a muse. I do this because without a muse, the dance and the dancer lack actual meaning, and it’s apparent on stage. If I’m stuck, I’ll collaborate with other dancers who are on the same creative wave.

Michaela DePrince, a Sierra Leonean-American ballet dancer, and Misty Copeland, the first African-American female principal dancer at the ABT, are two dancers I look up to because of the beauty and grace they exhibit.”

Clothing Design student Sebastian Valentin strives to be unique

“Some inspirations in my design and my clothing options would be Raf Simmons, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. [West is] pretty influential to me in music and clothing because he just does whatever he wants and doesn’t care what other people think. All three of those people are pretty influential in the whole industry; they set new trends all the time.

Clothing is something I’ve always been into. I always wanted to make sure I looked nice, and making something that you actually want to wear feels good.

I always wanted to learn how to do the small things. If you rip a shirt, it’s really handy be able to pull out a needle and thread; I feel like that’s a really useful thing to know how to do in life.

I think of what I can do to make it more unique and different and to better myself. I do as much as I know I can do, and I try to push myself.”