After mulling it continuously for the better part of two years, I finally broke down and decided - a week before the deadline - to apply to NYU’s graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program. It’s a two year graduate program in media technology / social technology / art and technology / etc. Basically, all manner of things that I’m interested in and would love to spend two years (and, hopefully everything thereafter) studying, talking about, and creating. There are a number of similar programs out there, but of the ones that I’m qualified for (ie, don’t require a CS degree), ITP is the only one the offers a broad range of classes (the prospect of taking a classes in physical computing, toy design, and the politics of code in one day makes my dizzy with anticipation) and to actually produce work that is more than just theoretical or artistically interesting. In my personal statement (in it’s entirety after the jump), I described it as “applied futurism”. While that suggested something too analytical for Nikki’s taste, to me it just implies thinking about what might be in store in the future and then doing it. To me, that’s a) important work, and b) the most crazy delicious thing ever! So, I’m excited.

For those of you who may be wondering about ITP, but don’t have the gumption to read my 1000 word personal statement or, you know, any words at all Cool Hunting’s new video podcast has three 1-2 minute clips from the ITP Winter Show. Cool Hunting, if you don’t know, is honestly very cool themselves

Or, for those of you for whom 1000 words isn’t enough, check out the syllabus for Clay Shirky’s class on Social Facts. Shirky’s a major influence in the social software sphere (say that ten times fast - “Shirky’s social software sphere”), and one of the reasons I’d be drop-dead lucky to study at ITP.

As I said, I completed the entire application in about a week, from initial epiphany (in the bathroom, of course) to filing. You can read all about that wacky process on my LiveJournal.

Click through for my personal statement.

Here’s my entire personal statement:
During my young life I’ve ping-ponged between creative and technical fields which have only recently begun to intertwine. When I was young, I had wanted to be a filmmaker, and as I grew older, I decided to pursue directing for theater. The method may have changed, but the essential desire remained the same: to tell stories, to communicate and converse on a cultural level. I was also busy forging a solid bond with technology, spending afternoons programming on my Apple II and playing video games. At thirteen, I taught myself web design, since no adult in my life knew much about the internet. But that’s always been a part of my relationship to technology - no matter what the task, I know that I can solve my problem and create what I need.

I had often struggled with balancing my creative and technical interests, until I was selected to be part of a pilot program of Disney Imagineers teaching at UCLA. I got first-hand knowledge of some cutting-edge experiments in interactive technology. Most of my relationship with technology up until that point had been confined to sitting in front of a screen. But while talking to a holographic Mickey Mouse who knew my name, it became blindingly clear that the future lay somewhere beyond a monitor and keyboard. The intersection of art, media, and technology was rapidly expanding, and I saw the potential of where my diverse skills could lead.

Initially, I turned to what I knew - the theater. I redesigned the website for Son of Semele Ensemble (SOSE), a nationally recognized small company, to enhance the relationship with the audience and community, using blogs, podcasts, and feedback comments. The media was particularly popular, and helped build a strong sense of community around the politically-minded company. I also directed several pieces in a co-production between SOSE and the Rogue Artists Ensemble, HYPERBOLE: epiphany, which utilized masks, puppets, robotics, and projection to create pieces akin to live music videos. It allowed me great flexibility to experiment with integrating technology into my theater work, and the collaborative process was one of the most successful I’ve ever experienced.

While at UCLA, I had come out of the closet and quickly became enamored of queer politics. Attending a conference of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force solidified my commitment to grassroots activism and guaranteed that it would have a place in all of my future work, regardless of form. I didn’t have to look far for inspiration, as politics became integral to the emerging changes in media.

I’d been creating online content for years, and when I started blogging, it had little to do with finally “finding my voice” or political organizing. I was blogging to communicate and share stories, something I had previously relegated to my theater work. Only later did I come to understand this act itself as inherantly political. The emergent social technologies which blogging foretold promised to upend all forms of media, including the Hollywood that I had dreamed of as a child. The democratization of the media was upon us, and it hinged on the intersection of technology and media, with politics playing an increasingly important role. My major influences had begun to conflate, and I found myself in a promising position.

An entrepreneurial spirit dictated that I make some use of my knowledge beyond my own small sphere of influence. I worked as a professional blogger, managed one of the first commercial video blogs, and I am currently coordinating online video for a television network. While I discovered a lot about the business of new media, these companies were too invested to try something truly revolutionary, and were unable to see the crossroads at which they are standing. Despite my background and knowledge of the implications, the conditions were not right for truly revolutionary work.

I’ve been following the work coming out of ITP for the past few years, ever since I noticed several posts on the art and technology blogs covering an ITP Winter Show. The work was surprisingly diverse, covering a wide spectrum of art, design, technology, media, and games. More significant, though, was that the work it overwhelmingly productive and valuable. This wasn’t just art or geek wizardry, but actual experimentation with the interaction between technology and life.

I want to study at ITP because of that approach. ITP students are performing research - attempting to sort out better, smarter, more meaningful ways to use technology in our lives. It’s “experimental” in the sense of a scientific study more than an artistic movement. Yet, the aesthetic is there, too. The students at ITP are creating full-fledged products and services which, whether or not they are ever developed, commercialized, or even seen by anyone outside select circles, are advancing the collective intelligence of where we’re headed. It’s applied futurism, and I can’t imagine anything more exciting and more useful.

Part of my goal in attending ITP is expanding my own knowledge across a wide range of disciplines. While I’m knowledgeable in media technology and its social and political ramifications, I have little understanding as to how the videos I upload every day actually became digital in the first place, or how to integrate location-based data into media players, or what RFID will mean for the future of gaming. I may never need to design a circuit after I leave ITP, but knowing what possibilities and limitations are involved makes conjuring up hardware ideas that much simpler, and then I can go on to prototype it myself, if need be. Most of my hands-on skills are relegated to traditional computing, and I’m eager to expand my knowledge of physical computing, electronic design, fabrication, robotics, and location-based technologies, among other things, all of which may have significant impacts in the next decade. The time when shifts in technology were isolated is long past - the emergence of any one of these technologies as a major force will necessarily impact the social order and political regime.

My learning thus far has been largely theoretical. It is increasingly important for me to work with others who can challenge my ideas and complement my skills. As with theater, the collaboration between people with overlapping skill sets creates something much greater than the sum of its parts. ITP’s emphasis on collaboration and the diverse roster of students and faculty are perhaps both its most appealing aspect and the secret to its success.

I’m still searching for how best to apply my skills in the rapidly changing intersection of technology, media, art, and politics. The fields are now inextricably linked, and I’m excited that the world has evolved to the point where my diverse talents and interests are not only able to be combined, but are most effective when used together. The students and faculty of ITP are at the forefront of the revolution, defining fields where none existed and keeping technological development focused on the people it will enable, empower, and change, separate from the commerce which will make it possible.