As a kid, I loved to create. Drawing and building with LEGO were some of my favorite activities and helped me get through difficult times in my childhood. It’s hard to explain to a second grader why he has to spend another three days in the hospital or why he feels like he’s broken, but he can make more sense of the world with LEGO Batman by his side. Over time, my interest in art changed and evolved, like every kid’s hobbies. In high school, a volunteer was needed to design Shakespeare theater programs. That opportunity inspired my love for graphic design, which is what I now want my career to be in. I enjoy stories and the way communication proceeds over art, music, theater and more. Design is storytelling. I love graphic design because I get to tell a story; I get to make people think or laugh or cry. That’s what stories do – share information to create an emotional connection. When I am creating in this way, I feel whole. I pursue art because I get to tell my own story and want to share that with others.
Aside from being impacted by the greatest artist and works in history, like Starry Night which I had the privilege to see in-person on a Make-A-Wish trip, I am so lucky to have creators in my life who have shaped my journey and been continuing sources of inspiration: two uncles and an aunt in publishing design, a family friend working on uniforms at Nike, and my high school art teacher who is the most creative person I’ve ever met. I look up to each of them and am grateful to learn from their experience; I would not be where I am today and going into my first year of college without their impact and that of their art. They are people who, along with Michealangelo and Albert Bierstadt, have been resilient in their work and changed the way I think and see creativity.
Being a human being with a serious medical condition or disability means that everything you do is harder, and that is no different with art. Time I could be painting or drawing or becoming a better artist is taken up by hospitalizations and breathing treatments. Some days are more emotionally difficult than others, which coupled with my perfectionism causes problems. However, I have chosen to persevere despite those issues, and I believe that my hardships have fueled my drive to put more into what I create and has influenced the backdrop of every piece in some way.
Art has been there with me all of my life, and I want to put a little bit of that story in everything I create, especially what has been good, true and beautiful. Oftentimes, I feel the world uses art just to make a splash and get attention or to express oneself. I want to be different, focusing on messaging that is uplifting and helpful, just like I choose to keep moving forward and dwell on who I have become despite my challenges, rather than what holds me back.
