About
About Painted by Policy
OPEN YOUR EYES.
Unless you are a more eccentric fellow, I doubt you see public policy. But, interestingly enough, if you did see public policy, you wouldn’t be wrong. You see, a world without public policy means the government’s purpose (to serve the people —“We the people”, remember?) disappears.
Leaders would be in their offices to keep their power and push for things that mostly benefit themselves. Now, the United States is not in that state (yet ha!), but the only reason why we aren’t is that we currently have public policy.
You see it in your school. You see it with your roads. You see it in the minimum wage. You see it in healthcare, housing, taxes, etc. I’m sure at least one of those resonates with you. And that’s why we all should make it a habit to read the news to understand what’s happening in the world around us.
That’s where I come in.
Hi, I’m Sheila, and I am a high school student who believes that understanding policies and how they affect our everyday life is the best way to form informed political values and opinions.
Now I’m gonna have you think more… abstractly. One of the best ways to understand opinions on policy or the effects policies have on people is by looking at political artwork. Art can show the human reaction to a policy in a way that a 900-word op-ed sometimes can’t.
On top of marvelling over other people’s work, I enjoy creating art—I’ve been taking classes for over 10 years and volunteer my time teaching art to children in an underprivileged community (I love spending my time with paint).
My 2 worlds (art and politics) collided when I started creating my own political artwork! In a world where politics and policy are so polarizing that people feel uncomfortable talking about them, it is important to have opinions and to voice them. And while it is great to be passionate about your beliefs, it is just as important to listen to others who may not share those same viewpoints.
At my school, I am a writer and Deputy Editor for Vital Signs, our opinionated current affairs paper. Reading and editing Vital Signs articles has opened my eyes to perspectives I never would have even thought existed, yet were valid.
I created Painted by Policy to link all of these passions: policy + art + journalism + perspective. So you can expect to read hard news, op-eds, or about artworks and what they communicate.
So, now that I’ve opened your eyes, maybe you’ll start noticing policy everywhere. I mean, I guess you may even say all of us are Painted by Policy.
Have I sold you yet? Read my blog posts to learn more 🙂 And feel free to comment your own opinions…
Leaders would be in their offices to keep their power and push for things that mostly benefit themselves. Now, the United States is not in that state (yet ha!), but the only reason why we aren’t is that we currently have public policy.
You see it in your school. You see it with your roads. You see it in the minimum wage. You see it in healthcare, housing, taxes, etc. I’m sure at least one of those resonates with you. And that’s why we all should make it a habit to read the news to understand what’s happening in the world around us.
That’s where I come in.
WHAT GUIDES THE WORK
Mission
To make public decision-making legible — tracing how a proposal becomes a rule, and how a rule becomes an experience for the people it governs
Vision
A readership that reads policy the way it reads literature: closely, patiently, and with an eye for what the text is quietly choosing not to say.
Values
Independence over access. Precision over speed. Plain language over jargon. Every claim sourced, every correction published in full.