Who is Sophia? I am a grad student at Penn GSE studying International Educational Development. I love learning and helping others learn. I have a particular interest in understanding how children learn best and facilitating that through play and family involvement. I have always had a love for creating art, so I've found myself bringing that into every role. How did you get into decorating grad caps and why do you enjoy it? I have always been the "artistic" person in school, and people always wanted me to help in that way for group projects. It was always the most fun part for me. My older sister was one of those people. I'd say 95% of my older sister's projects throughout our school career include drawings done by me. Anyway, a few months before she graduated from college, we started talking about how I would decorate her cap -- it was just a given. I realized that there was a market for that. People want their caps to stand out and be a part of their graduation photos, but they don't have the ability to make their ideas come to life. So, while I was still at Penn in undergrad, I started reaching out to graduating seniors through group messages and in person about paying me to paint their caps for them. It was a hit! When I shared photos of finished caps on social media, I gained more interest, and one post was somehow found and shared by actress, Alexa PenaVega. Suddenly, students around the country were asking me to do their graduation caps too. So, I created listings for them on Etsy and started shipping graduation cap toppers. I genuinely enjoy bringing someone else's idea to life because it's challenging and gives me a goal. And when I exceed their expectations, it is the best! Staying true to my heart for education, I used the proceeds to pay for a year of schooling for college students in Nigeria (where my family is from). To date, I have been able to do that for 8 students. What part of the art process makes you the happiest? I like getting requests that are new. It can get repetitive because so many people pick the same quotes that they want on their cap! There was one cap I painted that I learned a new font in order to suit the theme of the artwork. So, planning something new is exciting, and seeing the finished product is the most satisfying part. Why is art so important? I love this question! Beautiful things get me through life. To put it simply, life isn't always beautiful. Every day isn't celebratory. So, having something that makes you remember the beautiful moments or makes you look forward to them, gives me hope and helps me to endure when today isn't so great. Graduation caps allow me to do that for other people. Then, the scholarships help me to give hope in another significant way. When I work on weddings, which are my favorites, I get to take that up a notch. To every person, their name is "the sweetest, most important sound in any language" (Dale Carnegie). I love reminding guests that they were thought of, cared for, and welcomed. Couples get to create a beautiful day of celebration that they and their guests will look forward to the moment they get the invitation in the mail. Hopefully, all the pieces I create help to give them beautiful memories they can dig up when they need them in the future. That's what gives the art meaning. ⭐ Check-out and support Sophia's work at the following links ⭐
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophscriptco/ Website: sophscriptco.com
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