The Braunze Age

Have you ever met someone with a personality that just brings out the amazing in you? I’m not talking about a boyfriend or a girlfriend, I’m talking about a platonic friend with the power to inspire. I have, and his name is John Braun.
Braun is a senior at Hood College and will be graduating this spring. He is a studio art Major with a drawing concentration and a graphic design minor.
I first met John Braun via a mutual friend at Hood in the Fall Semester of 2015. At first glance he was just a likable guy. He was polite, nicely dressed, and later I would find him to be ridiculously driven. I use “ridiculously driven” because after talking to him, I was wowed by the journey that brought him to Hood.
A little about our friendship; by chance we both decided to take Photo 1 with adjunct Prof. Tim Jacobsen. The two of us were sprinkled in with the most wonderfully diverse group of students I have ever met. Jacobsen took us on fantastic adventures where our eyes were opened to a talent none of us really knew we had.
Together we found photography to be a creative outlet somehow overlooked previously. The strangest thing, however, was when editing our work, we found ourselves looking to one another for input. Our view of the world was so different; our styles were all unique. Yet somehow, we were able to help each other grow into better artists, photographers… better people. The results on all levels were simply amazing.
A group of us from Photo 1 reunited in Photo 2 and as a result, we banded together in a creative collaboration we lovingly now know as the Photo Deuce Third Row Rejects. Despite the lack of classroom time together, we all meet and inspire one another on a regular basis.
Let’s get back to John though. John could pass for being the same age as most of the students at Hood, however his journey was not so straight and decided as many. He’s about three years older than most college students and bears a level of maturity some will never own.
John was born on January 29, 1993 right here in Frederick; however, he was raised in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania which is about five miles from the P.A./M.D. border. He frequented Hagerstown as a child because it was the closest city and fully regards himself as a Marylander.
In his senior year of high school, John was already an immensely talented artist. He was ready to jump feet first into art school and visited many campuses. However, instead of being ushered into a creative haven, he was cautioned by individuals that suggested he would struggle to make money as an artist. Art was his love, yet the desire to be successful would loom.
The advice changed everything, but I cannot say that it was for the better or for the worse. After graduating high school in 2011, he did not go to art school as originally planned. “I literally picked a major out of a pamphlet because it didn’t sound horrible,” Braun says, “Traditional college was never in my plan.” He enrolled at Frederick Community College (FCC) with the intent of pursuing a business major.
Dejected and unhappy with his new path, John had no idea what to do with his life. “I was so ticked; I wasn’t going to school to study art. I gave away EVERY art supply I owned.” He decided to remove art from his life entirely. His studies went well at FCC, however something was missing.
Two years later, he decided to pick up woodworking as a creative outlet. John decided maybe carpentry was in his fate. All the while his mother persisted to tell him to return to his true passion, art. Mother is always right, you know.
A job change and a school transfer led him to a summer break hanging out with Savannah, his future wife. They skateboarded and listened to music. John wants it on record that he “sucked” at skateboarding. At her request, they went to into a shop to look at some things she believed would inspire him. Braun’s eyes were opened to art once more.
He scrambled, however his last minute attempt to change his major was rejected. Not to be deterred from his decision, John took a semester off and worked in a chain store warehouse on third shift. After doing so, he eventually entered an art program where he received a departmental award. However, things still weren’t panning out and he left that school as well.
After that, John began working as a Student Laboratory Technician in Frederick. Justine Zelko, a co-worker at the lab who was planning on attending Hood College, encouraged him to look into the programs offered as well. He took her advice and decided to see what kind of education he could find on Rosemont Avenue. He started with the wrong major again however.
After one semester in communications, John transferred to the studio arts program. His mom wants you to know that she called it, by the way. John has absolutely thrived here at Hood. He’s dabbling in all sorts of art. You may have heard him on Blazer Radio, you’ve probably seen his multi-medium projects in Tatem. His brilliant black and white street photography can be seen in Rosenstock.