Ross Osterholt is a 3rd year film student, who loves all things visual in art- but their greatest passion lies in writing and filmmaking! This Q&A reveals more: the deeper meaning behind their work, their love of symbolism and storytelling, and insight on their creative process! After reading the interview, check out their pieces “Shooting Stars” and “Matriarch” In Issue 23 of Botticelli, and see more of their work on their social media!
Please introduce yourself and the artwork you like to create.
My name is Ross Osterholt and I am a rising senior set to graduate in the Spring of 2026. I enjoy all forms of storytelling, especially writing and filmmaking.
What major are you pursuing and what drew you to that selection?
I am a Film and Video major. Before I decided that I wanted to pursue filmmaking, I wanted to be an author. I really enjoy using symbolism and metaphors to portray deeper meanings in my work, and I had an epiphany moment where I realized that video media can have so much more of this than books can. Symbolism can be found in not just what’s literally happening, but also the lighting, music, and environment. I fell in love with that level of detail and decided I wanted to do that as a career.
Can you introduce your Botticelli Piece for the 2025 issue?
My piece is a screenplay titled Shooting Stars. It is a World War II story about two men and their interwoven lives as one fights overseas and one remains home. It is a story about love, conflict, and humanity.
Can you describe what inspired this particular piece?
In this piece I wanted to explore the complexities of war using the symbolism of two different people living two perspectives that turn out to be much more similar than one might think.
What kind of inspirations fueled your creative process?
I wrote this script with the original intention of using it for my capstone project, as I really want to do a WWII story for my capstone. Once I finished it however, I decided I didn’t want to use this specific story for that, and that it instead holds strong on its own as a screenplay.
What goals do you have for your creative career?
The big final dream is to write and create my own movies. I really enjoy writing and production work and I hope to pursue that creative route in my career.
What are some of your current projects you are currently working on that we should look forward to seeing?
I am continuing to create short films of all different genres, and I have a documentary showing in Chroma this year too! Also look out for my capstone next year, as it will likely be a very similar story to this one.
Shout yourself out! Where can we continue to keep up with your work as a creative?
You can follow my art instagram at @jazz_handzzz_art
Head over to Ross’s YouTube channel, to check out their short film “Matriarch” as well!
What kinds of stories do you enjoy consuming?
I love stories with some heavy emotions in them. It doesn’t matter the genre, if it makes me feel things deep in my chest I love it.
What got you interested in writing as a creative medium?
I started writing with my best friend in seventh grade, almost a decade ago. I love creating characters and worlds and giving them deep and meaningful stories. It’s like painting with words.
What does your creative practice look like? What mediums do you prefer and how did you discover them?
My favorite mediums are writing and anything relating to filmmaking, as well as some painting here and there. I really enjoy these visual mediums and the stories you can tell through them.
Where do you see yourself going with your artistic practice beyond CCAD?
I hope to build a massive web of interconnected films and stories that are all linked in some way. Storytelling is my greatest passion and I am so excited to pursue it for the rest of my life.
