If you ask me when I knew that I would be an artist I would tell you that I have always been. I have never seen my expression through art as being a separate vocation although I am glad that I have been able to make it my profession and livelihood, which makes working for a living more enjoyable. It is so important to love what you do. I have been drawing pictures ever since I can remember as most kids do.
It was more than just an activity to me. It was a way of sharing who I was. It was how I communicated. I have always looked for ways to express my creativity. I seemed more able to do that through 2D mediums that 3D, but enjoy both. I was given an instamatic camera by my aunt when I was 7 and really enjoyed that. Documenting experiences was something my grandmother loved to do with her camera and I followed in her footsteps as I grew older. I learned later that she even had access to a photo darkroom where she could develop her own pictures and make custom Christmas Cards back in the 50’s. This really inspired me. [Insert sample Christmas card]
I remember being recognized in school for having an artistic gift around the 3rd grade and by the fifth grade was able to attend a school that emphasized the arts and feel blessed that my parents nurtured my gifts and saw the potential in me. I believe this is where I blossomed and felt “in touch” with who I was meant to be.
Unfortunately, this opportunity did not continue after elementary school. I found ways to express myself creatively through drama and school plays, music and singing in the choir, and I even tried piano lessons for a while, but those venues seemed to stay @ the level of hobbies and entertainment for me and my true passion was to create visual art.
As an artist, I did not take to the academic subjects very well. I always worked real hard, but science and mathematics did not hold my interest and I did not hold the key to unlock those worlds. I met requirements and applied myself enough to excel, but my determination to do well was to get the graduation requirements out of the way so I could take more electives. I took my first photography class in high school and my first opportunity to develop my own film and process my own pictures. I felt in my element there. I also took a basic art class in high school learning color theory and painting, but after the first semester the teacher told me that he did not give out As for grades because there is always room to improve. I felt that if I was one of the more talented artists among my classmates and I was not going to get an “A”, then not many would and for someone who wanted to be accepted to art school, this was not going to be acceptable on my transcript.
Wait, did I say art school? I am not sure when I made that career path decision. I don’t think there was ever any questioning it. I took the standard personality tests in high school that were supposed to reveal possible career paths for me, but even those did not appeal to me. The field of psychology was included and I will admit that interested me, but I had no clue where in that vast field I would even start. Art was just a natural thing for me. By the end of my junior year I had completed enough credits to attend my senior year part time, so I took this opportunity to take art classes @ the local university (where I got As from my instructor). I knew then that I had made good choices for my future.
My Family in front of my childhood home.
