Major Monday: Schneider Sees World Through A Different Lens
11/07/2016 | Gymnastics
Kennady Schneider has been a gymnast for 13 years and has spent countless hours inside a gym. But that is hardly the only place she considers home. As a fine arts major, with an emphasis in photography, Schneider sees the world as her studio.
"I've been taking pictures since the 3rd grade and it's just a passion of mine and always something I've loved to do," Schneider said. "When I picked it [fine arts major], I was very nervous because you always hear the term 'starving artist', but if you love what you do, you're going to be successful with it."
The task of being an art major and an athlete is not an easy undertaking for the junior. Her C.A.T.S. Academics counselor, Sarah Howard said it's not every day you see someone take on that challenge.
"A bachelor in fine arts with studio arts being her emphasis is pretty intense, not many student-athletes can even do it, let alone be good at it," Howard said. "It shows how creative she is and how she's innovative in a different way."
Schneider, from Henderson, Nevada, has never looked at her major as an academic undertaking, as art is more then just a career for her. It's a passion that lets her see the world through a different lens.
"It's actually a really big challenge to be a studio art major and an athlete, because it's a different type of studying," Schneider said. "You don't sit at a desk and study notes, you don't sit in class and listen to lectures. It's a very active major, where you have to go out in the world, especially as a photography major. It's something that I'm so passionate about, its not even a big deal to spend my whole weekend doing photoshoots."
Though being an athlete and being an artist are two different things for Schneider, they must co-exist in order for her art to occur.
"I see art as a platform for my voice, and I see Arizona Athletics as a platform for my art," Schneider said. "I feel like they work together in that sense, but my subject matter has nothing to do with sports. It's more personal matters and emotional issues that I face, or social issues."
Schneider incorporates her artistic side to the gym by doing her own choreography for her floor routines, as well as helping other athletes with their routines as well, a practice since she was 13. With a background in dance, Schneider knows that creativity has a place in gymnastics.
Right now, her favorite form of art is New Genre, which combines traditional art, like sculpting and painting, with contemporary forms like video and photography.
There is an overlying theme that Schneider believes lives in both her art and her sport.
"My purpose in my art work is to touch people emotionally and have them feel something, I think art for me means to make a difference in someone," Schneider said. "I want everything that I'm doing to make a difference, especially within gymnastics. I try to make a different to younger girls that come in and watch us because I remember what it was like to be a young athlete, looking at these girls doing amazing tricks and now I'm one of them. For me to compete and smile and inspire young girls keeps me going, and within my art work to put something out to help someone, inspire someone or touch someone, is why I do it."
"I've been taking pictures since the 3rd grade and it's just a passion of mine and always something I've loved to do," Schneider said. "When I picked it [fine arts major], I was very nervous because you always hear the term 'starving artist', but if you love what you do, you're going to be successful with it."
The task of being an art major and an athlete is not an easy undertaking for the junior. Her C.A.T.S. Academics counselor, Sarah Howard said it's not every day you see someone take on that challenge.
"A bachelor in fine arts with studio arts being her emphasis is pretty intense, not many student-athletes can even do it, let alone be good at it," Howard said. "It shows how creative she is and how she's innovative in a different way."
Schneider, from Henderson, Nevada, has never looked at her major as an academic undertaking, as art is more then just a career for her. It's a passion that lets her see the world through a different lens.
"It's actually a really big challenge to be a studio art major and an athlete, because it's a different type of studying," Schneider said. "You don't sit at a desk and study notes, you don't sit in class and listen to lectures. It's a very active major, where you have to go out in the world, especially as a photography major. It's something that I'm so passionate about, its not even a big deal to spend my whole weekend doing photoshoots."
Though being an athlete and being an artist are two different things for Schneider, they must co-exist in order for her art to occur.
"I see art as a platform for my voice, and I see Arizona Athletics as a platform for my art," Schneider said. "I feel like they work together in that sense, but my subject matter has nothing to do with sports. It's more personal matters and emotional issues that I face, or social issues."
Schneider incorporates her artistic side to the gym by doing her own choreography for her floor routines, as well as helping other athletes with their routines as well, a practice since she was 13. With a background in dance, Schneider knows that creativity has a place in gymnastics.
Right now, her favorite form of art is New Genre, which combines traditional art, like sculpting and painting, with contemporary forms like video and photography.
There is an overlying theme that Schneider believes lives in both her art and her sport.
"My purpose in my art work is to touch people emotionally and have them feel something, I think art for me means to make a difference in someone," Schneider said. "I want everything that I'm doing to make a difference, especially within gymnastics. I try to make a different to younger girls that come in and watch us because I remember what it was like to be a young athlete, looking at these girls doing amazing tricks and now I'm one of them. For me to compete and smile and inspire young girls keeps me going, and within my art work to put something out to help someone, inspire someone or touch someone, is why I do it."
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