I would run my hand across the spines of the thin instructional drawing books in the familiar ailes of my public library until I found an unfamiliar one from which I would learn how to draw something new. I would then start the process over again. I was enraptured by how the strokes of a pencil can create a two-dimensional reality, and it’s that captivation that makes art significant to me. Yet I’d say it’s not artistic skills that express creativity in my eyes, but how an individual uses them. 

 

Within high school I strived to create art that stops my audience in their tracks. And I did so through the time I put in to find something worth painting, the concepts I captured, and how I would use my skills to pack a punch in just the right way. I used my art to portray taboo topics such as politics, or the dark truths of our fashion industry. I illustrate these messages by incorporating snake skin here or tearing up my canvas there. I saw the impact my art had on students and parents alike. Often, I was told my art forced them to question our society. Our values. Our actions. 

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My goal is to leave an impact. Not because I fear death and want to be remembered afterward. I do not care for people remembering my name. I strive to make an impact by creating conversation, whether it be through my art or through my profession. I want to help create a shift in values or force us to face the innate nature of ourselves as humans. I don't care how minute that impact is, if it lasts for the thirty seconds to hours someone has evaluated a piece of my art or not it is enough for me.