As a recipient of a 2023 CREATE! Micro-Grant, Cam Carmichael, a Studio Art major with a minor in Comics and LGBTQ Sexuality Studies, created an oil-painted self-portrait that explores his identity as a transgender person in today’s political climate.

Centered around the intimate feelings of comfort Carmichael feels with his partner, the work, titled It’s Pink Because I Love You, uses pink and pastel colors as well as glitter to express the joy experienced when surrounded by loved ones.

Making art has always been a source of escapism for Carmichael. The painting process has helped him work through feelings of distance, uneasiness, and discomfort.

“I am queer and trans and have faced plenty of prejudice for my identity,” Carmichael said. “The catharsis of creating work about my hardships creates a sense of pride in my choice to continue living.”

This creative exploration of emotion is something Carmichael frequently relies on to understand the world around him and to process and communicate his feelings.

“I am queer and trans and have faced plenty of prejudice for my identity. The catharsis of creating work about my hardships creates a sense of pride in my choice to continue living.”

“Art is a communicative medium. When it comes to using art as a response, I find the making process cathartic and the act of showing such work liberating,” he said. “Discussions based on these issues opens educative opportunities for those who are privileged to understand people like me.”

When making art, Carmichael’s goal is to create something that uplifts those in his periphery, especially the work of his peers at MSU. As the head of MSU’s Clay Club, Carmichael says he is always trying to be the positive reinforcer to people who may feel like their art is lesser than themselves. “I try to uplift confidence and heart to the artists around me at MSU.”

This goal of finding joy and uplifting others through art is continued when Carmichael chooses materials for his work. He looks towards inspirations that make him happy no matter what, like the use of glitter or fun colors. However, his gravitation towards joyous sources of expression does not deter Carmichael from tackling hard emotional or political issues through his work. He says that choosing happy mediums grounds him in his art and message.

“I’m grounded by always choosing joy or fun when making while still holding the topics of the painting there,” he said. “Individuals in my generation may be too fixated on telling such stories or political practices, but they forget the fun and whimsy of exploring one’s happiness. I always leave a piece with pride when I make something that makes me happy.”

“I’m incredibly grateful to continue to paint and make my identity and experiences a communicative device for educating others about being unapologetically transgender and queer. Especially when my voice isn’t listened to, art is a means of my voice that makes it so people listen to me.”

In 2023, 13 proposals were awarded $500 CREATE! Micro-Grants, including Carmichael’s. The CREATE! Micro-Grant program, which is offered by MSU’s College of Arts & Letters and facilitated by the Dean’s Arts Advisory Council with support from the MSU Federal Credit Union and departments across the university, encourages Michigan State University students to critically engage, through art, with the past, present, or future while allowing them to explore current events and issues through mediums such as art, dance, film, poetry, and song.

Carmichael plans to attend graduate school after earning his bachelor’s degree and plans to continue to paint. He hopes his work encourages young people to explore their relationship with themselves, their environment, and their peers. He also hopes that his work encourages young artists to examine complex topics creatively but through an uplifting lens, using cheerful images, mediums, and colors.

“I’m incredibly grateful to continue to paint and make my identity and experiences a communicative device for educating others about being unapologetically transgender and queer,” he said. “Especially when my voice isn’t listened to, art is a means of my voice that makes it so people listen to me.”