My dad was the first person to teach me to draw.

I would sit and watch his

pencil move as he sketched and try to make lines the same way. We watched Bob
Ross on Saturdays and I got “Draw 50” books from the library.
I was really lucky to live in a community where art was valued. At my public
elementary school the PTA collected funds for an electric kiln. The studio smelled of
earthy red clay. Our art teacher kept potted plants and decorated the walls with
images of animals, and student work was displayed prominently in the halls.
Looking back, we mainly focused on crafts, a system where we followed a lovingly
teacher-led process, discussing basic art elements like color and symmetry.
I remember being fascinated with tracing paper, going over all my favorite
pictures. I love animated films, illustrated books, the pairing of art with a story. I
loved the tension between the representational and the unrealistic stylization. In
middle school I started reading manga and graphic novels. I began drawing fan art
for absolutely everything. I was also diagnosed with depression and started
medication. I had a lot of anger and wasn’t sure why. I escaped into drawing and
drama classes. One of my favorite exercises was blind contour. In school our art
projects continued to be heavily process based with room to steer towards our own
interpretation. I began reading fantasy series and incorporating mythology and
symbolism in my work.
In high school I joined Theater club, painting sets and doing stage makeup.
My high school offered the International Baccalaureate program and I took courses
in English, History, and Theory of Knowledge. The focus of art classes shifted to
formal elements and mechanical drawing techniques. We began working with
perspective, negative space, and anatomy. We were only required to take one art
course, but I registered every year. My instructor was also my Improv Team coach.
Mr. D was tough minded but tender hearted. In my senior year I was the only Art 4
student. I sat in with another class and Mr. D created assignments to help me
develop a portfolio. He was the reason I was prepared to submit my work in college.
My senior year of high school I had a cardiac arrest. I was in a coma for two
weeks. When I regained consciousness I had memory loss and gross motor issues. I
had to relearn how to walk. There was an H1-N1 outbreak and I couldn’t have any
visitors. Drawing felt strange but my fine motor skills returned much more quickly. I
had a pacemaker implanted and began heavy medications before being sent home.
My love for fantasy was a heavy outlet. I was able to graduate on time by working
from home until I was able to return to class.
I was accepted into Appalachian State University. The art program
introduced me to life drawing and printmaking. We had a computer lab, print shop,
wood shop, and ceramics studio. I realized I might never have access to all these
resources again and began taking as many classed as I could. I concentrated in
printmaking, where my stylized illustrative style translated well. My tendency to
overwork was curbed by a process heavy discipline. I especially loved my Art
History classes. I was inspired by the human impulse to create. College was a blur of
caffeine and late nights spent making. I did not feel I was making amazing work, but
I loved making it. My teachers told me my lines needed confidence. In one life
drawing my professor took the soft vine charcoal away and gave me an enormous
charcoal lump the size of my fist. “Now you only draw with that”. My work got
better, but my lines were not always confident. I never saw anything as finished. I
struggled sharing my work with people outside the class.
I continued struggling with my mental and physical health. I began having
seizures and developed psoriasis over 80% of my body. Over time I got my
medication and conditions under control. After graduating I began teaching after-
school art classes and quickly discovered I loved working with kids. I loved their
enthusiasm and creativity, even envied them slightly.
I spent a year working at an Acton Academy elementary school, a project
based studio school that modeled student progress after Joseph Campbell’s Hero
Journey cycle. They promoted learning by doing, where the teacher was a Guide. I
worked wit a group of seven students age seven to nine. I was to use the Socratic
method, answering questions with questions, but providing resources for students
to find the answer. The young Heroes completed thematic Quests ending in an
Exhibition for friends and family. I was skeptical but shocked at the things my
students were able to achieve. I realized how natural and easy learning is for
children, and saw how quickly they grew. However, the Academy didn’t offer health
insurance, and I was about to be kicked off my parent’s health insurance. So I began
looking for other job opportunities working with children.
I began teaching in preschools. They also promoted project-based learning,
free exploration time, and the cultivating of the child’s natural self. I worked up to
administration, but the corporate structure felt hollow. I was stressed, exhausted,
and disconnected. I missed being in the classroom. Clandestinely I stepped down a
few months before COVID hit. During the shutdown I reflected on how much I
missed having art be the main focus of my life. I thought about how I was wasting
my own creative opportunities. I decided to combine my love of art and learning and
pursue art education. I couldn’t focus on teaching full time, so I applied for an
assistant teacher position in a second grade class at a public elementary school.
I want others to have access to quality art education. I also want to continue
my own art practices. My goal is to work with older students, to be able to discuss
technique and history, but my own teaching style has been shaped by my experience
in early childhood education. I’m happy to discover art education can build so
directly on my own classroom experiences. I’m still working on myself as an artist
and learner, which I hope will continue throughout my career.