Shreya Neogi (12) finds herself drawn to the unconventional. But instead of words, she uses visual art as a medium to convey her thoughts.

“I like writing, but I’m not very good at expressing myself with words,” she said. “But if I’m very passionate about something, I will somehow express my feelings about it in a way.”

Since kindergarten, Shreya has been drawn to visual art, from the stress relief it provided to the surge of pride when a project was finished. Now, her art has become a way for her to spread a message and change the opinions of the people around her.

“Art is not something you brag about, you just let it be and you show it to everyone,” she said. “You don’t have to defend it; it’s just there. It’s something that will actually make the viewer think about what they’re seeing. I think that’s what art really is—spreading a message and trying to change their opinion about something.”

Shreya favors using atypical materials, especially skewers, in her work. Her use of unusual supplies allows her structures to stand out.

“I did one project with skewers, and then from there, I couldn’t put them down. I was inspired by them,” she said. “I think it’s different and it’s something that will stay with the viewer.  It’s not the basic still life drawings that you see everywhere.”

Besides standing out from more common materials , skewers also provide much-needed stability in a sculpture. Straight lines create structure, and curves add strength. Each unique piece contributes to the strength and stability of the structure as a whole.

“In a sense, it almost looks like it’s curving, but really, it’s just straight sticks,” she said, turning a skewer sculpture around in her hands to inspect the edges and the form. “Society has a bunch of restrictions and rules that are put upon us and that makes us stable and unstable at the same time. These sticks are the supports and constructions that hold up this whole structure together.”

Shreya makes a conscious effort to stay true to herself, a principle that influences her art.

“When you’re creating something, it should be solely from yourself. There shouldn’t be any influence from society or even just copying,” she said. “Everyone wants to copy each other, right? Be the same person, be that standard of beauty, but just be yourself. That’s all you need to do.”

Shreya won’t follow a trend for the sake of fitting in, but she also doesn’t consciously avoid mainstream pop culture just to rebel.

“Anything that pop culture enforces onto us, that’s the hardest to stray away from because it’s so prevalent in anything we do,” she said. “Whatever you do, don’t be embarrassed, or try to change the way you act just because of someone else. Don’t take everything so seriously. All these rules that we have, they’re not rules, they’re just human things that we impose on each other.”