June 5, 2008
"...My best bet..."
After graduating from college, I began to get bogged down with not being able to magically find "my style" of art. I felt as though I were doing something wrong. Being broke, fighting off systematic depression and really just trying to find myself while trying to decide which direction to walk in, I decided my best bet was to pick up drawing in sketchbooks again.
Considering my own journey to that point, I remembered how in 2008, I lost my first completed sketchbook. It was a big deal because all of my best work was locked within that sketchbook and was never shared with anyone. At the time, I was extremely shy and assumed that no one would be interested in my weird ideas. Needless to say, that single event spawned the basis for my first art show (which was in a coffee shop). Losing the sketchbook inspired me to show what other works I still had to everyone, since there was nothing else to lose. The show turned out to be a success. The money earned during the show paid for my college application, which lead me to graduating and ultimately culminated into being able to display my art in better shows & etc. Since then, I've begun to look at art, sketchbooks, memories and the creative process in a whole new light. I've learned that the only effectual art is the art that is shared with others because, as an artist, your job is to be an excellent story teller by expressing what's within you to those around you.
By taking to drawing again, I realized that my "style" wasn't the issue. Hiding my work between two hard covers and keeping my story a secret was, essentially, my glass ceiling keeping me from self actualization.