Lena Spirn, a 7th grader, is one of this year’s Keren Or (Ray of Light) creative arts contest winners. She won 3rd place (tied) in 7-9 grade prose for “That Horrible Feeling” and Honorable Mention for 7-9 grade photography for “Self Portrait 2.” Here’s a Q&A with her about her work!
What and/or who inspires your creative practice?
I am inspired by nature and things that happen in every day life, that might seem trivial but can be monumental if looked at in a different way.
What impact does winning Keren Or have on you personally and your work?
It impacts the way I look at my art because I am more confident in it. It also helps me categorize my photography more and now know what makes good photography/writing. Winning this Keren Or award gives me more confidence and energy to continue doing my creative work. It feels good to be recognized publicly for something that I do a lot in private.
Why did you create the art you did, and what message do you hope people take away from it?
For the photos, they are purely based off of happy moments in my life and kind of odd silly moments. My photo is a simple self portrait of me doing something silly and also simple, blowing a bubble! My hope is that people will see the beauty in simplicity and silliness. My prose piece is about a personal experience that for me was very moving and left me feeling excited, confused, and scared. In my piece I wanted to show how beautiful all three of these feelings can be, and that they can exist together at the same time in the same person.
