Finding My Artistic Identity (my story)

Discovering my passion for art and becoming the artist I am today started from a young age, and in a unique way, which was a several-year process. Today I am going to share my story leading up to where I am today, and how I developed and am continuing to develop as an artist. 

Lets's start from the beginning. In elementary school, I always loved art class, and looked forward to it, as I loved being able to get paint all over me and create, but deep down didn't feel like I was very good at it, but just liked the fun. In fifth grade, which in my area is the last year of elementary school, I became very close friends with this girl who happened to be an incredible artist, which made me feel bad about my skills, and made me feel insecure, which lead to me not liking art at all. In sixth grade, I tried to get into it somewhat but was easily discouraged, and often would rip up my drawings if I didn't think they were good. Seventh grade was a numb spot, as I barely did anything relating to art, but when eighth grade hit, that changed. I started finding that I missed creating and that I wanted to create, and with practice and dedication, I would improve, so I began drawing and painting all the time, and being patient with myself.

I realized I needed to stop comparing my art to other artist's work, and embrace the imperfections in my art, as imperfections are beautiful, and our entire world is formed by imperfections, and if everything was perfect, what would beauty even mean? Thoughts like these strengthened me, and I began working harder and taking my pieces were had previously felt as if I had screwed up, and took after Bob Ross, and turned them into "happy accidents." I began to work with different mediums and test out different techniques and discover my own personal style, and what makes up my identity as an artist. I began falling in love with art more and more each day. 

around the time I was starting my sophomore year of high school, my style had developed significantly, and my passion to pursue art in my career path increased more and more. I started my Instagram art profile and began sharing my creations and works. I started to feel like a "real" artist. Shortly after, I began to struggle with my mental health more, and some reasons to personal to go into detail with, but art also became a great way of coping for me and became a part of me in every aspect of my life. I began to cover my bedroom walls with my paintings and make art pieces to give as gifts to loved ones.

In my junior year of high school, two teachers really helped me in all parts of my life, but specifically encouraged my art, one an art teacher, and one a Spanish teacher, but for the sake of their privacy will keep their names anonymous. These two teachers really helped to shape me as an individual and as an artist, and I began to start selling my artwork. Now as I am at the start of my senior year of high school, I am beginning to map out my future and how to pursue my goals. I have a teacher this year, who has become someone who will always be in my heart, and in the three weeks I've known her, she's already helped shape my dreams and inspire them to a much greater degree. 

Currently, I am strongly looking into the next step of how I am going to pursue my passion for art and desire to work as a teacher. I am wanting to be a high school art teacher, in which I would be pursuing art, and working with teenagers, and helping them discover their own artistic identity! The three teachers I mentioned above have all been a part of saving my life and shaping me into who I am, and I also want to pay that forward and be that for my own students someday as well as pursuing art. On the side, I hope to illustrate books, and maybe even write my own books too. 

Art is such a beautiful thing, and I defiantly would not be the person I am today without it. Each day I live is another day I grow as an individual and an artist, and I hope that my story inspires others to keep trying and to keep seeking the beauty that is within art.