A Little Girl's Dream
You know that question everyone asks you when you're little, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Ever since I can remember I wanted to be some sort of artist. My earliest memory is when I was 3 1/2 years old, my mom caught me drawing on my walls with crayon, I got in so much trouble, she had me clean the wall myself. I also recall drawing dolphins on just about any piece of paper I could find at the age of about 8. Everyone one always told me that I was talented and that I would be an artist when I was older. I took every chance I was given to take art classes in school and even after school programs. My mom also took me to craft clubs every now and then where they would teach us to make these cute handcrafted cards for holidays and such. If it was artsy and crafty at all I would try it out. I loved it all. Even jewelry making, floral arranging, ceramics, and so much more. I was able to take more in-depth art classes as soon as I got into middle school, where I learned how to use clay in ceramics and show off my drawing skills in art.
I also had the privilege of growing up with a few amazing artists, such as my mom and grandmother. my grandma is a brilliant oil painter, she can paint the most exquisite detailed landscapes in an utmost creative way. She's painted on old saw blades, old wash boards, and any other items that can be painted on. I've always loved her work, I now have it hanging all over my home to show off. My mother has also always been an inspiration to me, ever since I was little I've seen her art work that she's done throughout her life. Having the lineage of art in my family has always had an impact on me. I've constantly struggled with my art, because I've always seen their work as being masterpieces and mine were never good enough. Even though I have these thoughts, I continue with my work because it is my passion. Art is what keeps me calm, helps me through my stress and anxiety, as well as provides me with the notions to achieve success by not giving up. My mother and grandmother have helped me to that realization along the way. Even though it started out as a hobby and being able to do something together as family, it turned into more.
As soon as high school came along, it was a whole different ball park. I went through the process of every shade of artist you can think of. I started out with the idea of becoming a fashion designer, because I loved trying on crazy outfits and getting all glammed up. That plan didn't work out for me due to a teacher who decided to play favoritism towards the popular girls and shunned my ideas. After that idea failed I tried out interior design. This plan didn't last too long considering as I only have short memories of the concept. I know I had that same teacher that just didn't seem to like my work all that well. Moving on to better and brighter things I got to explore my talents in digital media. This is where I learned the basics on photography then continued to the fun aspects of the digital realm. I got to create the craziest things on Photoshop and Illustrator, the game had changed for me, it was a whole new world with fantastic things to create.
My favorite teacher Mrs., L. helped me with so much when it came to my art work she helped me better my drawing and painting skills, as well as teaching me the ropes of a graphic artist. My mom is a graphic designer and I thought I wanted to be just like her. So, I learned more about the digital arts and perused that throughout the rest of high school. Along my journey I had to go through some bullying struggles as well as a bad break up that lead me through a rough patch in high school. There were moments in my life where all hope seemed lost. I went through a depression and a serious case of anxiety that would literally leave me breathless and broken down. I was in a dark place and no one seemed to notice, I pushed my friends away until finally one day, Mrs. L. noticed these changes in me. She took a moment to step back and realize that I wasn't acting like my usual myself, so she called me and my mom into a meeting with the assistant principle to talk about what was going on. From that moment, I had finally looked back at how I was acting towards people and I realized I that I was going to get my life back and change it for the better. The reality of the matter, that a teacher noticed when something was wrong and took action to fix it was a wonderful feeling. She became my role model after that experience and the care she took with me as she helped me with my art process helped me tremendously. Because of Mrs. L. I was able to make it through high school stronger and able to graduate to peruse my dreams.
After high school I went off to brighter pastures in exploring the art world at Green River Community College. There I took many more drawing and graphic design classes, here I even got to take my first steps into oil-painting. I learned to develop some basic techniques, but still wished I had the ability to learn about oils from my grandmother. She was and still is a great painter, I just wish I could have learned from her. Moving on from the actual techniques of the art world I delved into the history of art to learn all that I could about other cultures and their past and present creations. There's so much vibrancy and wonder to learn in this world, art is just a colorful and emotional way to express that. That is why I believe I love art so much, not only did I grow up around it and have a mother and grandmother who were great artists, I felt the passion to express my emotion and share the wonders of this world through creative and physical language.
Achieving my Associates in Fine Arts Degree I had to figured out where I wanted to go after that. I investigated a few Universities such as Eastern Washington, The Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Colorado, Cornish College of Arts in Seattle, and lastly Western Washington University. Looking into Eastern I found out that they didn't have an art program, so I had to review my other options. Both art colleges were way too expensive, Cornish was a private college which made its way up there, so I kept looking forward. A friend told me about WWU, so I looked into it and found out they have a fantastic graphic design program, I enrolled and a few months later, got a letter in the mail and was ACCEPTED!
Pursuing my education at Western has made me come to realize that I didn't want to be a graphic designer, I also didn't want to be a struggling artist, I needed to figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up. Looking back at all I've gone through I realized that the answer was there all along. I knew from that moment in high school with Mrs. L. that I wanted to be an Art teacher. I have worked hard to get where I am now, to prove that I can be someone and do something great in this world. Mrs. L. is the reason I am here today, where I stand to make my place as another educator in this world, to be that role model someone needs, to be there just to help students realize their potential and help them just be and create ART! I want to thank Mrs. L. for believing in me when I thought all hope was lost, during a time where there always seems to be a struggle (that's high school for you). I am oh so ever grateful for having the opportunity to work with students and guide them through this process called life. I look forward to my future as a middle or high school art teacher!
- I can't wait!
