About Eric:

Eric participated in Baraka’s summer residency program August 2021, the summer before his last year of college. In May of 2022, Eric graduated from Arcadia University on the Deans Honor List with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing. During his residency at Baraka he wrote a short novel, “The Toys of Balthus”. 

 

Eric's own words:

“At Baraka, I was given an opportunity to detach myself from the community and people I was familiar with, and instead had time to explore myself in a new community, one closer to nature. While at Baraka and through discussion with Kardash I began to consider the concept of dimensionality, how in life there are certain things with different dimensions to them. Some things and viewpoints are two-dimensional, ie: they tend to be more simplistic and

narrow-minded in concept. Then there are things that are three-dimensional: objects, viewpoints, and ideas which seek not to simply explain away something, yet they invite us to explore further, to connect deeper with the world around us. At Baraka, I was allowed to explore my art, the community, and the world around me through a more three-dimensional lens, seeing things based on how they all interacted with one another rather than how I or someone else merely interacted with them.

 

Through the exposure to nature and to the surrounding community of Stanfordville, I felt more in tune with the world around me than I had beforehand. My experience taught me the importance of my surroundings and prompted me to think about how it affects me and how I affect it, rather than thinking solely about how my environment might benefit me and me alone.”  Eric Hamada