The creativity level in any room skyrockets when junior Kara Cipolloni enters. From drawing to photography, Cipolloni has been an artistic mastermind since she was a child. “I’ve been drawing all my life, but it was the summer before freshman year when my grandmother gave me a digital camera that really sparked my interest for photography,” Cipolloni said. Cipolloni has been immersed in art since she was very young. Both of her parents encouraged her hobby and even partly inspired her to take an interest in art. “My mom draws too and my dad is an architect,” Cipolloni said. “So I’ve been around art a lot.” Although Cipolloni enjoys both drawing and photography, she believes that she is better at photography. So when her grandmother gave her a digital camera, she was absolutely thrilled. After receiving the camera, Cipolloni quickly began by taking photos of the outdoors. However, she didn’t enjoy it very much. So, she started taking photos of herself and using Adobe Photoshop to enhance the photos. “I started taking pictures of myself because I could express the emotions through the photos better,” Cipolloni said. “My dad had an old version of Photoshop so I just played around with it for a year.” Emotional or conceptual photography is the genre that Cipolloni enjoys the most. She describes it as, “photography where the focus is on the mood of the photo.” Cipolloni’s favorite collection of photography that she has done is entitled “The Quarantine Project.” The photographs depict a pre and post apocalyptic setting through the use of gas masks. “I was really inspired by the movie 28 Days Later and some music by the band Muse,” Cipolloni said. “I wanted to create my own apocalyptic setting.” In fact, Cipolloni claims that music, movies, and stories serve as her biggest inspirations. “I am constantly listening to my Ipod,” Cipolloni said. “I also get ideas from stories that I’ve read.” In the future, Cipolloni would like to be a model. However, she believes that she will pursue photography in college. “I will most likely go to Iowa State unless I get a scholarship to go somewhere else,” Cipolloni said. “I would love to go to California or New York and take photos for fashion magazines or work on movie sets.” Whether she ends up in California or New York, working on a fashion magazine or movie set, Cipolloni’s love for art will continue on. There’s no doubt that Cipolloni’s future will be as beautiful and artistic as her artwork.