Alli Mitchell

Hello,

I am interested in the perceptual differences in how people process aesthetic experiences. I have always wrestled with the choice between pursuing a career in psychology or art.
My love of art started as a child because I loved watching anime on TV. I dreamed of making Japanese animation--but given that I couldn't draw well or speak Japanese, I focused on another interest of mine, psychology instead. In my Undergraduate University years, I took a Japanese culture class, and a job opportunity to work with the Japanese embassy (The JET Programme) was presented to the class. I thought it was a long shot, but I applied and was amazingly hired. I worked in Japan for three years for that job, studied Japanese as hard as I could, passing a language proficiency test (JLPT-N2). I was admitted to a Technical school for anime, manga, and illustration and graduated from a two-year program, juggling five part-time jobs on the side. I lived in Japan for a total of seven years. It was my childhood dream, but all the while, I kept wanting to learn more about Psychology. It was stressful how unfocused my career path was, but once I learned about Neuroaesthetics or the Psychology and Neurobiology behind aesthetic experience, everything clicked I could combine my passions.

NeuroArts is a new branch of study, and I am very excited to see how both it and I can work to help people.

Thank you for your time.