My Journey with Art: Featuring Art From my Childhood
I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon. As I got older, I started experimenting with a different type of canvas - aka my body. I put stamps all over it. There were no limits to my creation, no rules. And then I went to school.
The Imagination of an Elementary Student
In kindergarten, I wasn't considered a smart kid. See, I was the kid who would get out of their seat to talk to their friends and draw doodles all over the page. I would give art tips to all the other kids about how to draw dresses. I would draw them as triangles. My kindergarten teacher at my parent-teacher conference said that I was a good artist. I wasn't great at my abcs or reading out loud. My numbers and counting skills weren't great either, but I was a good artist. That was the first time I fell in love with art.
But, as the years went by I became less focused on drawing. I wanted to be the best in the class and sadly, that meant that I put my creativity to the side. We had art classes and they were fun, but I had friends who were really good at drawing. They would always get praised by the art teacher for copying the reference closely. I was more of a let my imagination run wild than using a reference. So, I felt discouraged and stopped drawing for a bit.
A few years later, an illustrator came to my school. He said that anyone could be an artist and that all you need is practice, so I started my first sketchbook and I would draw all sorts of things. That was when art was truly the most fun for me, because I just drew what I wanted to.
In fourth grade, I had a couple classmates who I would draw with. One said that they thought they were really good at drawing and I said that I was pretty good at drawing too. They got silent for a bit and then said, not really. Ouch, kids can be mean. So after that, I got discouraged and stopped drawing for a bit.
High School and Beyond: Social Media Burnout
Years went by, and I kept drawing but didn't show anyone. Then in high school, I was friends with people who were fantastic at drawing, but instead of making me feel worse about my drawing capabilities, they encouraged me to keep practicing. So, I did and got better, picking up a new sketchbook.
In college, the first semester I consistently drew for myself. I would draw what I enjoyed. However, I started a social media class my second semester and decided to make an account to support artists who are feeling discouraged, just like I felt. I drew every day, often dedicating hours to my art pieces. But eventually, I got burnt out. I lost my love for drawing because I was drawing for my audience and not for myself. Nothing I ever drew would be good enough.
Finding a Balance
And now, I've found a good balance between doing art for myself and others. I have created pieces that I love to make for myself and then make my blogs revolve around them. It's been a struggle to start again after I made so much progress and then just stopped. I am not growing as much as an artist currently, but I'd rather take it slow and steady than force myself to draw when I don't want to.
So, don't be too hard on yourself if you don't always want to create art. There will be months where I draw every day and then some that I don't want to pick up a pencil. Being creative is truly a fantastic outlet for emotion and that's what it should be. It should not be a chore. Now, go out and make some art with HEART!
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