Autobiography

In my first grade class I remember being the kid that wasn’t good at any sport. When it came time to go outside for recess I spent my time sitting under this giant tree reading instead of playing kickball. Every Wednesday from 11:00-11:45, I was the queen of art; the paintbrush, pastels, and colored pencils were my loyal subjects. My pieces were plastered across the walls showing off my talent and regality to the other students; instead of trophies I had sculptures I made myself.

Art class was the only place I truly excelled. That small window of time became my favorite part of school because it boosted my self-confidence and allowed me to be the authority on something.

One of our most memorable projects was a contest my teacher entered us into with the theme: “If something was falling from the sky, what would you like for that to be?” Kids said things like pizza, chocolate bars, and kittens. I spent a long time thinking of what I wanted falling from the sky. It was a strange question really. Would you really want anything falling from the sky that wasn’t supposed to?

This was a very deep question for a first grader; I decided that my favorite thing in the world other than art class was reading. Books and art were synonymous in my mind, so putting them together to form one piece made the most sense. I later found out that I had won the contest for my innovative design idea.

My art classes had provided me with the ability to think creatively and pick something that meant something to me. Art classes helped to shape me as a person. This project allowed me to take inspiration from the things around me and use them as more than just objects, but as metaphors for other things. The piece that I painted could have been interpreted as a metaphor for a thirst for knowledge or reference to Fahrenheit 451. The project taught me that anything could have a double meaning to it. Everything you could ignite a thought or idea in anyone and allow them to look at something as more than just a thing but as a symbol for an idea or thought.

After my parents realized I had a talent and interest in art, they enrolled me in art lessons with a local artist who lived near my elementary school. She was a very eclectic woman who encouraged me to dabble in many different types of mediums like clay and found art. No matter how unappealing my art looked, she gave me words of encouragement and pats on the back.

I once walked into her home for one of my lessons (my parents normally just dropped me off and then ran errands around town) and there was nobody in the house. I searched all of the rooms and never found anyone until I looked out of one of the windows. My teacher was standing in the backyard welding metal together creating a giant sculpture. I walked outside; she waved to me and told me to put on the goggles and gear that were sitting on the patio table. My teacher then showed me how to weld. I never was allowed to actually use any of the tools, but she showed me everything that she was doing and how she was doing it. It was an incredibly exhilarating experience to be in the presence of such a dangerous form of art.

My teacher also opened my eyes to spray paint and painting on surfaces that aren’t necessarily used for painting purposes due to the texture it creates. For instance, she showed me a method of painting where you take a board or a box and you pour paint over it and then pour more paint on top of that and continuing to repeat the process until you have the desired effect. My teacher wasn’t intentionally opening me up to different circumstances but in reality she was, she gave me the gift of new experiences and challenges that showed me how to handle new people and new ideas. She taught me how to work with people through art. By exposing me to new mediums I had to get to know them before working with them, similar to friendships and partnerships.

I worked at an afternoon enrichment center for high poverty kids in my hometown where normally the kids would go from playing outside on the jungle gym into doing their homework until their parents came to pick them up. One Tuesday it was raining incredibly hard, so we switched the schedule and students had art before they went to do their homework. All of the students were able to focus on their work, and work proficiently compared to when they played outside before doing their homework kids were rowdy, inattentive, and dismissive of their homework. They changed the schedule completely and some of the kid’s parents have seen improvement with grades as well as behavior.

Art helps you how to grow and shape yourself. I learned more about myself through art than through any other experience I have had. I continue to paint and create art to this day, none of my pieces are worthy of a museum but they are important to me and show me how I have grown and matured through different stages of life. Art is important to me because I found myself as a person through it and it is a constant reminder of who I am.  It helped me to see things beyond the surface level appearance and look for a deeper meaning. Art is a vital part of learning and is a necessity in education. Without art you lose the ability to think on an abstract level and allow yourself to relinquish excess energy and creativity. It allows your creative juices to flow properly to every aspect of your brain. Art taught me how to see a deeper meaning, work with other people, and think outside of the box.