Features

Recently, I met with Michelle Mullin to talk about her SVA creative journey until graduation this past spring. An animation major, Michelle took 4 elective writing courses, and composed a uniquely beautiful chapbook.

During her first year, (2021-22), Michelle was in my Writing and Thinking section. An avid reader, writing stories, she was “always jotting things down.” Her class essays & short assignments were thoughtful and articulate. After the course, I encouraged Michelle to take creative writing electives to expand on her visual art, and in Junior year she took my Intro to Creative Writing & Writing and Multimedia courses simultaneously because she felt both offered room to grow herself and “go deep” with writing skills.

“I chose both as an emersive outlet,” Michelle explains, “to connect to myself emotionally, and understand how an audience connects to animation writing.”

But she didn’t stop there.

As a Senior, Michelle requested an Independent Study with me, to create a multi-media chapbook (a small collection).

“Taking Multimedia, I‘d developed my writing & visual art, everything organic as a representation of me”, she recalls. “For the chapbook, I could turn painful material into something I loved. The book is interactive. Once inside, you can feel different textures, with photos and envelopes to open. Then you see connection to my thoughts and feelings through the writing.”

The idea for her book as a pillow, came from Michelle’s own “plush, squishy” childhood books. “On the cover, little popsicle sticks form a house, and within, you experience my home, my life there. All the poetry is handwritten, so it’s more personal. But I definitely think the family things, especially regarding my mom and women, are relatable, even universal.”

And what’s Michelle’s perspective today on creativity and her time at SVA?

“I’m doing multimedia animation lately and using writing as an outlet even more. The chapbook project especially, helped with all my artistic work, giving me relief and release, taking things held inside to create something positive. Now that I’ve done this project, things aren’t as scary! I think crossing over to creative writing and other Humanities electives can open limitless possibilities with your art!”

Davida Singer, poet, performance artist and teaches first year writing as well as creative writing in the Humanities and Sciences department.

Michelle Mullin is a recent SVA graduate (2025) who majored in Animation.