[ Spiral of Contents ]
- Sophie Lewis - Brainstorm
- Bodhi Dotson & Eli Thau - BODELI?
- Max Sugarman - 10.
- Risa Haile - Know Yourself
- Jaylene Li - A Quiet Celebration
- Soleil Wang - Sand Castles
- Simone Basmajian - Red's Deck
- Rena Phan - The City in Motion
- Marley Manalo - Snapshots: A Glimpse Into My World
- Zadie McGrath - Soft Fire
- Trinity Joa - 10:36
- Miley Quanch - Define: What I Am
- Sasha Freeman - I Fall In Love Too Easily
- Sami Grospe - Oasis of Color
- Raley Cheung - The Swing Incident
- Shoshana Sturm Diaz-Infante - Delicate
- Tasha Leung - Moldy Tiger
- Corbin Zimmer - Out of my Mind
- Hildy Brooks - Creativity with Hildy
Welcome to Upward Spiral, a collection of 19 original projects created by our summer cohort of artists working in genres ranging from music and film to painting, collage, animation, and more. This post celebrates the creative momentum that builds when we come together to produce deeply personal work. Each piece is part of a shared movement, lifting us higher through collective imagination and energy. Take a moment to explore the various floors of our celestial stairway.
Sophie Lewis - Brainstorm
Before I even picked up a paintbrush, I spent eight hours on Google Slides, cutting, resizing, and piecing together screenshots of myself. I jammed these awkward pieces together until I found a composition I liked, and then ended up scrapping it entirely. I repeated the process three times until my frankenstein figures came to life, and then I changed them some more on the canvas.
This piece feels like brainstorming at a time when ideas are yet to come into focus. Sharp white corners jut in like the edges of half-formed thoughts, each one dissolving before it can take shape. The figure is fragmented, duplicated, and warped into two disconnected selves. One reaches out to the other in a failed attempt at communication, the dialogue suspended and unresolved. A flowing texture ties the piece together, from the fleshy, pink, brain-like sheets to the stark emptiness of the surrounding walls. Everything moves, but nothing lands.
Bodhi Dotson & Eli Thau - BODELI?
We have created a three song EP that reveals the full extent of our.musical travels this summer. Even though the three songs share similarities, they all belong to different genres and styles. We range from the slower, more shoegazey song called Watched You Fly (So High) which has lyrics and melodies that embody the same feeling as the instruments. Punk Song 25 has a way different vibe though, with a fast-paced, punk energy that still represents how a song with a simple chord progression can be elusive and complex in other ways. Intergalactic Frequencies Teaching Me How To Read is a balanced song that takes the elements of both of the other songs and combines them into something new. We went for a funky, trippy vibe on this one, even though everything about the instruments is a (mostly) straightforward basic rock song. It’s got reverb-heavy dive bombs that move into jazz breakdowns with lyrics about Intergalactic Frequencies Teaching Me How To Read (naturally).
I am not done enjoying rust. It’s cool, you know, and it’s everywhere, if you know where to look. I am getting better at looking, so my collection of nails and screws is growing. They’re in a glass mug on my shelf right now, but I might need a bigger container. Or another mug.
I painted this nice bolt from my collection this summer. Its name is 10. It says so right there, on its head. See? I took it for a walk around the neighborhood yesterday and got stares from the local elderly Asian guys. There are actually a lot of places you can hang a painting off of too, if you’re looking.
Risa Haile - Know Yourself
Know Yourself is a dance film I made that explores the fluid nature of self-identity and how it evolves over time. The piece reflects the idea that no matter how much effort we put into understanding ourselves, personal identity remains something elusive and constantly shifting. We are never static, the way we see ourselves, the way we feel, and the roles we occupy are all in motion.
The process definitely came with its challenges, especially in post-production. I may or may not have spent over 20 hours staring at different angles of my own arms, debating which version looked slightly less awkward. The editing tested my patience (and my sanity), but it also taught me a lot about problem-solving, making decisions under pressure, and letting go of perfection. In the end, it was just as much a learning experience as it was a creative one.
Jaylene Li - A Quiet Celebration
I was drawn to screen printing because of the unique visual effect of halftone and how varying sizes of dots come together to form a detailed image. The technique is both visually fascinating and creatively versatile. I love how it allows for bold graphic styles while still capturing intricate detail.
The flower I chose to print is the Tan Hua flower, also known as the Queen of the Night. It only blooms at night and wilts by morning, but during those few hours, it opens fully, revealing radiant inner petals. In my family, the blooming season becomes a quiet celebration where we stay up late together just to witness the short lived beauty.
Soleil Wang - Sand Castles
Overthinking the things we say and do is something many people can relate to. With this piece, I wanted to remind viewers that most of the things we regret will eventually be washed away and be forgotten, like a sand castle on the shore. One concern I had while creating this work was that viewers might interpret the washing away of the sand castle as something sad or melancholic. In reality, I intended it to evoke a sense of peace and reassurance. I want the viewer to feel relief, as if everything is okay and life has gently returned to normal. To convey this, I used objects scattered along the beach as visual markers. The scene begins with darker, gloomier items, but as the waves roll in, they reveal vibrant signs of life—flowers, colorful shells, and other bright details, bringing warmth and calm to the composition.
Simone Basmajian - Red's Deck
This summer I crafted the major arcana of a Little Red Riding Hood tarot deck. I’ve always felt a particular connection to this story, especially the growing up aspect of it, and wanted to see a tarot deck focused on this story. I couldn’t find one, so I figured, why not make it for myself? The medium I decided on was collage for two main reasons. 1) I am not the best at drawing, and 2) because it adds to the idea that this is a fairytale.
It turns out, collaging cards is a lot harder than I expected it to be. It was, however, a worthwhile challenge. My main constraints came in the forms of turning important moments in the story into easily recognizable images and the reality check of what was too complicated to collage. I ended up having to simplify a lot of cards to actually be able to create them.
Finally, I titled this piece Red’s Deck because in so many adaptations of her story she is shown not to be in control of her own actions. The wolf lures her off the path or she doesn’t realize she’s stepped off it until it’s too late. I wanted to put the reigns back into her hands. This is her story, after all. In total, I created 10 out of the 21 major arcana cards. I am happy with my progress and look forward to continuing to work on this in future cycles. Stay tuned!
Rena Phan - The City in Motion
Creative expression can be found throughout San Francisco and it has always caught my attention. From the murals, to the museums filled with diverse paintings and breathtaking sculptures, the amount of work is incredible. Nature, in particular, has always been a fascinating subject to me. “How was this created?” is a question that often fills my thoughts as I stare at beautiful views that attract my eyes. Creating a montage film of everything that has ‘stood out to me over the span of my summer walks and adventures has revealed so many layers to this extraordinary city. San Francisco overflows with daring new experiences, but they are softened by the vibes of our mellow neighborhoods and pleasant weather. This is a city that is as rich as it is understated.
Marley Manalo - Snapshots: A Glimpse Into My World
Words have always been my creative outlet of choice, but photos and photography have always also been in my corner, patiently waiting for their time to shine. So I figured, why not combine powers and see where that takes me? I wanted to mix the visual and visceral to convey exactly what I’m thinking and how I view the world.
When I was coming up with the different sections of my ‘portfolio,’ I tried to organize it in a way that was structured and not too messy. But, this is a reflection of my life, and much like everyone else’s – it could never be neat or tied with a nice bow. So I titled each section (For You, For Me, and For us) as a reminder that there’s something for everybody in my work. This whole process has been healing for me: to voice my opinions, sift through memories, and most importantly… learn how to work on Photoshop. (Thank you, Caley!)
With this collection, I hope to reach an understanding between my audience and I, so if you’re reading this, and have seen my art, thank you for spending some time in my world.
Taken from the middle of my fantasy novel, these scenes are bookends to a death, a defining moment, a beginning hidden like hot coals under ashes. They contain a kind of warmth that might fool you, if you don’t know the characters in question—and maybe it fooled them too for a time. But the comfort these two people expected to find at this point in their story has unraveled. Now, slowly and just as unexpectedly, they begin to find it again.
“Sam had moved past numbness and now the details of the house assailed her, brilliant. The fog blowing through the window she hadn’t closed despite the cold. The candles Ivy had lit, forgetting that Sam could do it with ease. An unintended kindness, but a kindness nonetheless—Sam’s fire lay dormant now, a fact she would rather not remember.”
Trinity Joa - 10:36
I’ve wanted to try my hand at animating for a while, so I thought: what better way to learn than tackle it with the stress of a looming project deadline? I mean, if not now, when? I have a little list of songs I’ve been wanting to animate to, and out of those I chose 10:36 by Beabadoobee.. mainly based on vibes. I thought it fit the characters well so I created the two of them around a year ago and they have (surprisingly) stuck with me ever since.
After storyboarding, I settled on an animation program (Procreate) and forced myself to get familiar with it, and while I did plan out the entire song, I figured I wouldn’t be able to animate all of it in these six short weeks (I was right). Still, I hope this little clip at least gives you a taste of what the song feels like to me. It’s been pretty fun and rewarding learning to use an entirely new program, and I’m proud to be able to say I made something that didn’t exist before!
Miley Quanch - Define: What I Am
Have you ever heard about that one philosopher’s socks? Or that Greek hero’s ship? These two thought experiments, Locke’s socks and the ship of Theseus, challenge the idea of what personal identity is. People have different ideas about what makes someone themself. Are we defined by physical factors, or by element more spiritual, like a soul? These are the questions that I wanted to explore in this piece. Depicted are two people: the one on the left, a human who we will call “A”, and the one on the right, a doll who we will call “B”. Now, if their body parts are swapped, starting with an arm and a leg. But at what point will A no longer be A? If we trade all their body parts, who is who? Or do we have to switch more meaningful pieces, such as the heart, to find out the answer?
Sasha Freeman - I Fall In Love Too Easily
Sometimes I think that I’m too sensitive for my own good. Every stray cat that shows up on my porch, I feed. I want to earn their trust, show them what affection means, and prove I love them. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, sometimes stray cats go missing, and I become aware that if I’d never fed them—like many people know better than to do—I’d never be hurt by their disappearances.
This cover is dedicated to a stray cat named Sam. When I met this fat tabby, I couldn’t get within ten feet of him. And yet, I cared about him, and I loved him, and I was sure he’d learn to love me. Over the next four years, between getting to pet him for the first time and him finally moving inside the house in January of this year, he did. He was unrecognizable from the scrappy cat I’d met in 2021. He’d become friendly and would take any opportunity to sit on your lap. He was always gentle with my other cats.
In April, when he unexpectedly became sick and was put to sleep, I found myself wishing I hadn’t insisted on feeding him all those years ago, because it would have saved me from the grief I felt now. And like the lyrics of the song, I felt I’d loved too quickly and should have learned my lesson. But in my emotional turmoil, the thought of the first time he climbed into my lap filled my mind. How timid he was, shaking with his head bowed. But our connection was stronger than his fear: as soon as his paw reached my leg, he knew he was safe, and he didn’t leave my lap for two hours. Thinking about it, I realized why I am the way I am. No matter how easily I fall, it’s a privilege I got to love.
I think the way that I care is how I make friends with the right people—like my friend Leni, who I only met some months ago but who has quickly become like a sister to me. When I asked her to do this project with me, she didn’t hesitate for a single second. She found time—between work, math classes, and family time this summer—to record the piano on this track. We spent hours recording and re-recording, feeling both frustration at our unused takes and joy at our successful cooperation.
The final take of this song came together by surprise, when, after promising Leni we were done re-recording, she looked at how much I disliked the take we were going to use and generously suggested we re-record one last time. It was undeniably our best take. We made this song by understanding what it is that makes a song meaningful, and fulfilling that with cooperation and genuine enjoyment in making the music—ultimately making it a song worth listening to.
Sami Grospe - Oasis of Color
In a vast darkness of unfamiliar shapes and uncertainty lies an oasis of color. Have you ever felt yourself spiraling, stuck overthinking—yet you always find a small hope or respite from the struggle? I wanted to portray these feelings through the colors and shapes in this artwork.
I used a variety of materials I had never worked with before. Previously, I had mostly created paintings and pencil portraits. I had never done a physical collage—especially one as large as this—and I struggled with deciding what materials to use to create the artwork I envisioned.
But I did know that I wanted to make something with interesting colors and lots of detail. I feel proud that I succeeded in creating a piece with a pleasing color scheme, using unfamiliar materials, all in a short time that flew by.
Raley Cheung - The Swing Incident
The Swing Incident follows my process of remembering a nostalgic experience from my childhood. During the time when I was coming up with things I could do for my project, this one stuck out to me because it remains an ongoing story in my family’s lore. It encompasses my childhood extremely well, and how chaotic-prone I was. The thing that makes this event so special, was that I can still remember it clearly even almost 12 years later.
Shoshana Sturm Diaz-Infante - Delicate
Sometimes I sketch my ideas for painting with no sense of direction, just letting the lines lead. But I find that times, my lingering thoughts from beneath the surface quietly take over, pouring themselves onto the page then over to the canvas. This painting came from that place, what I see as a delicate state of being.
Tasha Leung - Moldy Tiger
There are many reasons why we all like mold. It reminds us that even if things don’t always go the way we plan, or go the way we want them to, or turn out OK in the end, something warm and fuzzy will always continue to grow with us. Mold keeps us company on sad bathroom floors, in heartwarming meals, and on endearingly damp walls. Mold keeps us company at both our lowest and our highest, yet we see it as an evil green (or black or blue or white) spirit sent to devour our lungs. Why? When will we open our minds and to allow them to mildew, so that this we can harness the true power of mold? You can continue life as you are, misinterpreting the love of this soft and squishy companion. Or, you can embrace the mold in your life, and choose to accept your slightly codependent but overwhelmingly delightful relationship with mold, before something else embraces you.
Corbin Zimmer - Out of my Mind
The mannequin only goes skin deep. Wigs and hats and fancy dress take all of the attention, while the indispensable vessel goes unseen. Paintings are often presented on blank, isolated walls. Marble statues are both figuratively and literally put on a pedestal. This piece is my exploration of displaying the things that display creativity, as one would appreciate a theater even without a production, or admire a blank sketchbook, for quality alone. I have always seen art in the items that support the final product, seeing a painting for the paint, so to speak. I’d like more people to view art this way. That which holds up an art piece to the eye deserves to be seen in just as much reverence, doesn’t it? In this, a complete piece can be appreciated with all that went into it. After all, if art is subjective, the place at which an art piece separates from the world around it is up for debate. This piece is the celebration of the wall that suspends a canvas, and the ground upon which a statue stands.
Hildy Brooks - Creativity with Hildy
You may have heard of the little man. A menacing creature that dwells in the shoe. Some might say he represents a creative block, the antithesis of a flow state. A paralysis of inspiration. But…have you heard of the little woman? Otherwise known as Yee Great One that resides in the hat? She appears in different forms:
Noah Baumbach,
sea shells,
zine fest.
Yee Great One does not show herself very often. To some she comes more frequently, but to me… Well, I feared she had gone on a trip to France. I have interviewed some people about creativity. I wanted to know what inspires them, what struggles they have gone through, and what advice they had for others that were struggling with the absence of their own little women (non derogatory).
The answers were pretty great. The interviewees revealed to me a couple different truths I would like to share with you here. I am a much more likeable interviewer when I’m comfortable with the person I’m interviewing Most people think their education experience has helped their creative progression. Having multiple art mediums/ stuff you’re doing can be helpful so you can take a break from the art you’re working on and be creative in a different way It’s okay that I don’t really like making films.
I might just not be as passionate about it as I originally thought and that’s not my fault. It’s good to tell people when they’re not fulling facing the camera Anyone can be a collaborator. Take your art less seriously and creativity will happen
