I am inspired by everything. TV shows, movies, friends, and especially my family. My sister first introduced me to drawing and I fell involve with it ever since. My mom introduced me to design, as she designs parties and events. My dad taught me to love the sciences and school!
Throughout high school, I loved art, but I also loved science. I took up a STEM track in Colegio San Agustin—Makati, and remained in the honors section for five consecutive years. It has always been an unspoken dilemma for me. How do I pursue two different things that I love? Which career path should I take? I have learned to love both. My last year in high school was heavy on Chemistry, Biology and Physics. That’s why I made my own dress for my Graduation Ball at the end of the academic year, to release my artistic side.
It all started with an idea, my mom’s that is. Ever since my Junior Prom, I wanted to make my own dress. I saw the components that go into the process and realised how simple it was to make a dress. So, my mom encouraged me to make a dress, and had the smart idea of painting it! At first, she wanted it to be white, so it could look like a canvas with flowers. I told her that I really wanted green for my dress because it was my favourite colour, but it was much more difficult looking for colours that mixed well with emerald green. This dress is so important to me not because I get to wear something elegant or pretty, but because it speaks of the things I hold closest to my heart. As nerdy as it may sound, I chose emerald green because I’m an avid Potterhead and a proud Slytherin. I recently read the book Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (which touched my heart), and decided to paint the orange florals. I strayed away from basic roses and dainty florals because although they’re pretty, they don’t reflect my personality. I love the vibrancy of loud colors like orange and green. They speak more to who I am. I wanted to create something personal that could manifest the things that I hold very close to my heart, and painting is one of them.
Once my mom and I drafted everything, it was time to turn our ideas into reality. My mom and I bought the materials: 13 yards of fabric, crenoline, regiline, pilon and swarovski crystals. Then, we asked someone to help sew it for us but the dress ended up far off from what we wanted so we had to do the whole thing again and fix everything about it. My mom and I sewed each panel of the skirt one by one (there are about 12-13 I think!). I would get home from graduation practices and go to the room to find that my mom already started without me. She would make things easier for me – she would cut the skirt’s panels, sew on the bottom of the dress, and more. During the process, we would joke around or work together in comfortable silence. Without her, my dress probably would’ve been a mess. That’s why I want to give her the credit she deserves.
Seeing myself in the gown, I thought about how long my mom and I worked on the dress. It took me about a month to make the whole thing (conceptualizing and drafting). For the painting, it took 5 days. The whole process was so rewarding afterwards because I was able to wear one of my own creations.
Ciara Gan is a fresh STEM high school graduate from Colegio San Agustin-Makati, Philippines. She is a lover of both the sciences and the arts. She hopes to incorporate the arts into the sciences or vice versa. She plans to pursue a degree in Management Information Systems at the Ateneo De Manila University, and specialize in Multimedia or Data Systems.
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