By Vanessa Langdon
News Editor
The communal aspect of Saint Rose is what brought Jeremy Fink, member of the graduating class of 2015, to the College. Fink, 21, is originally from Latham, NY, and will be receiving his bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the College on May 10.
The hardworking senior remembers his college years as a time of self-exploration.
“It’s been a lot of personal growth. From not really having a real clue of what I wanted to do with myself, to learning some real-world skills and learning what I want to do for fun that I had no clue I’d ever be interested in,” Fink said.
He also remembers long nights spent in the art rooms in Brubacher Hall.
“Drawing at Brubacher at 3:30 in the morning– the haunting at Brubacher when you’re hanging around late at night, things start moving and lights flickering,” Fink said.
Through the classes he’s taken at the College, Fink has found his love for both graphic design and photography.
“My black and white photo class and my graphic design class were my affirmation that I like those things, because you don’t know until you do it yourself,” Fink said.
The art department at the College has a culture of its own, according to Fink.
“If you like what you’re doing, it’s very easy to become part of it, even when it’s stressful and exhausting,” Fink said about the atmosphere at Picotte.
He became a part of the art culture by what he refers to as an accident. He originally wanted to be an engineer, but fainted when a high school teacher brought a human kidney stone to science class.
“I decided that I couldn’t be in the medical field, and I went home and randomly started playing guitar to de-stress and I got into guitar, and that led me to cinematography,” said Fink. “I’m still convinced it all happened by accident, which is pretty cool.”
This “accident” has led him on week-long school art trips to Paris and London. He hopes next to visit either Italy or Greece.
In addition to taking advantage of the opportunities abroad through the College, Fink had an internship this past summer in New York City with St. Martin’s Press, located in the Flatiron building. The College has had a graphic design student interning at the publishing company every year since 1998. Fink worked there from May to August. He worked to design the spine, back, and flaps of books after being given the cover design to guide his own creations.
“I got to work with editors really closely. They were really nice but super intimidating, but by the end of the internship, once I had earned their confidence a little bit, I got to do a couple covers as well,” Fink said.
His experience in the publishing world was put to use when working on the two-year project that became his senior thesis. Fink’s thesis became the book “The American Lens.” The book, similar in style to the “Humans of New York” book, features strangers he photographed, all wearing the same pair of American flag sunglasses.
He shot the majority of the photos while in New York City for his internship. “Sassy” teenage girls who had American flag sunglasses and frequented the miniature golf course where Fink worked were the inspiration for the project.
Fink is clear that while many may think his book, and the Facebook page created for the project, are similar to the Humans of New York franchise, he has different goals in mind.
“I’m not interested in the stories of the people, but what happens photographically—the lack of context helps people make their own stories,” Fink said. “Art should be transformative. If you know too much, it’s not transformative—just enough to form your own opinions, but not too much that’s it’s spoon fed to you.”
Besides pursuing his college degree, Fink said he has never spent so long on something. The book is currently only available for purchasing through Blurb for 90 dollars. He is working on a more affordable option; currently he gets no profits from the sale of the books.
Fink’s dedication and strength of character was on display during his work on The American Lens, according to his professors.
“This was a project that sprung from Jeremy outside of the school structure, because of his passion for photography,” said Rob O’Neil, assistant professor of art at the College. “The photographs are all portraits of strangers, who Jeremy approached, engaged in conversation, and then photographed. The fact that he was driven to make these photographs by his own self-imposed structure really speaks to his commitment to his passions: design and photography.”
The work combined what he loves, and it showed in the quality.
“I believe Jeremy’s senior thesis work was a capstone for Jeremy because it incorporated both this photography and design interests,” said Jessica Loy, professor of graphic design at the College. “The concept is very strong and we hope he continues the project after he graduates.”
Fink has not began his job search, but is not worried about job prospects after making connections and getting his foot in the door through his internship.
“I’m taking a week off to just do nothing, to decompress from four years of stressful and fun work,” Fink said.
He has started to enjoy working on cinematography and hopes to find a job in New York City after graduation that allows him to work more on that.
“I’d like to start out working for some company that promotes cinema—movie posters, that kind of thing,” Fink said.
Loy believes that Fink’s tenacity and ambition will serve him well in the future.
“I always tell our outgoing seniors to be confident in their education and portfolio work,” said Loy. “They may not land a job right away, but they will succeed with persistence.”
Professors have big expectations for Fink.
“I think Jeremy represents the program extremely well. Alumni Relations should follow this guy closely!” said O’Neil. “He just embodies the kind of well-rounded graduate we hope everyone strives to be. He’s taken all of our guidance and made it his own, while still maintaining his own passions and dreams.”
Fink looks forward to the blank canvas that follows graduation and remembers his life motto, which he heard on Jimmy Fallon, “my life is dope and I do dope shit.”
“So direct and didn’t seem that wise, it’s so direct and simple,” Fink said.
Fink tries to do things that aren’t mind-numbing because he thinks it makes life more enjoyable. Whenever he’s doing something that makes him think, that’s when he’s happiest.
“I like what I do,” said Fink. “I’m in a fun field where I get to be weird and goofy and get paid for it.”
