Emma Longley Uses Art Passion with Mural in Holmes Center Weight Room

Written by Shane Harvell, App State Strategic Communications Student Assistant

On the court, Emma Longley spiked away 464 volleyballs for kills for Appalachian State during the 2019 season. Off the court, Longley spiked away built-up tension, anxiety and stress from that of volleyball, school and everyday life through creative expression.

The first-team All-Sun Belt honoree's zeal for escaping the stresses of life through art arose as early as she can remember.

"My grandmother, whose father was an artist, kept art supplies in the basement," Longley said. "So, when we would go over to her house, I would sneak into the basement and color on the walls with doodles."

Today, Longley still draws on walls via a chalk wall in her bedroom back home. Oftentimes, she will post time lapse videos of her finished products on her social media platforms. Whenever a new idea pops into Longley's head, she erases the expanse of the previous endeavor only to start anew.

 

Anthony Glass, director of strength and conditioning for Olympic sports at App State, recognized Longley's artistic skill.

He noticed some of her artwork that she had posted and asked her to paint an art mural in the George M. Holmes Convocation Center's weight room, Glass noted.

"I never thought something would come of it, and all of sudden I was up on a ladder painting," Longley said.

Among the signature block "A" logos adorning the both floor and the walls of the weight room, the 4-by-16 foot mural stretches from mid-wall up to the ceiling in the back left-corner.

Longley painted over a glossy, white cinder block wall to illustrate smooth brushstrokes of fall colors stretching high above the Blue Ridge Parkway, the campus bell tower and the glass rotunda steeple of Belk Library competing with Howard Knob for "the most memorable parts of Boone," Longley said.

The piece also specifically commemorates the sports that compete in the Convocation Center, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball.

Six shadow athletes appear in a frozen athletic position equally spaced across the expanse of the wall. Yosef erect with fists clamped pumping into the sky next to a fluttering black and gold themed U.S. flag marks the middle.

"Every time I paint, I'm in the zone," Longley said. "I love to be able to make something great that people appreciate and know that I put my heart into."

Without a go-to reset button such as art in Longley's pursuit for athletic perfection, the accumulation of her accomplishments, like seventh in program history in career kills with 1,340, would not have been possible, said Jacob Cooper, staff psychologist for App State Athletics.

"Stress is good when it makes us feel focused on rising to the occasion but presents diminishing health returns," Cooper said. "Too much stress over time can lead to a burned-out, fatigued athlete promoting a greater chance of injury and sickness."

Longley's evolving team leadership role brought about a multitude of inside and outside stresses in striving to meet personal and team goals. However, she went on to lead the Apps to a postseason appearance in 2018.

"In our gym, studs have to be studs," Ginipro said. "When you start becoming that player, you will be held to a higher standard, and I would tell her often that you can't really have a bad day.

Art was simply a calming distraction for Longley.

This type of distraction allows one to refocus his or her mental health for better athletic production and a better overall human being in attacking challenges, said Kimberly S. Fasczewski, professor of health and exercise science at App State.

The benefits of the ability to escape from stressful environments are not only limited to athletes. However, the type of escape in combating stress, a hobby, art, yoga or singing and songwriting, is a case-by-case basis, Fasczewski noted.

For Longley, she specifically leaned on creative expression as her mental and physical reset button during volleyball season.
 

"By just doing art, she was dissociating from the areas causing her stress as our brains only have so much attentional focus," Fasczewski said.

Under the guidance of Ginipro, who uses the creative expression of wood burning as his own escape, the volleyball squad also indulges with art through team-building exercises to further foster a sisterhood and open communication.

This past season, Ginipro gave out 4-by-4 inch, square canvases to each member of the team. Each athlete was then instructed to paint their own illustration outside of the pencil-marked lines. When the team finally placed all the tile-like canvases together, the "one team" core motto shined through exemplifying togetherness despite different backgrounds.

"It's a great way to express yourself, and quite honestly, you don't have to be good at it," Ginipro said.

After college, Longley plans to continue to use her love for art in the form of an advertising career. As for volleyball, she wishes to keep it a part of her life through that of coaching.

"Every season was a challenge in different ways, but it was the best time I had," Longley said. "This volleyball program gave me support and opportunities that I know you couldn't find anywhere else. Even in the hardest workouts or the toughest practices, I wouldn't trade them for anything."