About My Passion for Art and How it Shaped Me

As a young child, I always experienced awe and inspiration through art. Even twenty minutes of finger painting or dabbing emerald green petals with soap paint in the bathtub or doodling with chalk on the sidewalk reflected my passion as a young artist. So this essay about my passion for art discusses how my talent has molded my aesthetic character ever since my earliest childhood memories.

My mother first introduced me to the world of art. I began learning the piano at the age of six, and after the long tedious hours of practice and lessons, I am fortunate to have it as a hobby that can surround me with sonorous peace or fill the room with vivid enthusiasm. I also began taking ballet lessons during that time, along with my favorite childhood memory: splashing acrylic paint and watercolors at an art studio in Chicago. Later, I learned my second instrument, the flute, and joined the school band when I was in seventh grade. As a senior in high school, I am proud to still be part of the band. All of these artistic pursuits have allowed me to express my inner identity.

When I was in seventh grade, I began to take journalism classes and even created my own fashion magazine with a group of friends. Ann Curry was my favorite news reporter, and I was always awed by Anna Wintour’s professional talent in fashion as editor-in-chief for Vogue. English has always been my favorite academic subject at school, so I have taken a keen interest in journalism, which has allowed me to use words to create personal expression. However, there was always a part of me that could not detach myself from the visual arts. To me, having art as only a hobby just wasn’t enough.

Despite the fact that I took Advanced Placement Art Studio during my junior year, it was my childhood memories that drove me back to my growing interest in the arts. Suddenly, I remembered my childhood days spent drawing with pastels and embellishing flowerpots with brightly colored beads. At that moment, I knew I had to return to the art studio and expand my artistic techniques.

I began to work on my college portfolio at an art studio. Because I did not decide on my intended career path early, however, my art instructor warned me that I would need to dedicate most of my time and effort to completing that portfolio. While some might have felt frustration, I completely enjoyed the process. The freedom and ability to express my ideas and feelings were always rewarding. In fact, it really made me into a person who brings out messages through drawings. For example, I have completed one piece of a young girl with piercing, sparkling eyes who is hiding part of her face with a crimson fan sprinkled with violet feathers. Her hair has also been braided with yarn in order to achieve a more dramatic, edgy appearance since I wanted to create a mysterious yet sharp look. In a different piece, I used colored pencils to draw a tropical rainforest-like background with vivid butterflies fluttering between the smooth tea-green leaves. On the right side of the canvas is a human-like creature with various sized butterflies clustered on her head to bring astonishment and a dream-like feeling to the audience.

I am proud to have discovered not only my passion, but my dream career as an artist. The art studio is now my second home, as I am there drawing from the end of the school day until dark three times a week. Because I work at the studio so often, my friends ask me if I’m ever “tired” or “exhausted” from trying to balance my artistic career and my school life. No, I tell them, I’m not tired. I’m not tired at all. Instead, I feel more alive -- more awake -- than ever before! Given my passion and commitment, I long to refine my talents as an artist. I feel fortunate to have rediscovered the keen interest in art that I have possessed since childhood but only recently started to develop.