I like art.

It’s difficult to say exactly what it is that I love about art, but I’ve been attracted to art in one way or another for as long as I can remember. It started out in the form of arts & crafts projects when I was younger and grew as I did. I enjoyed the art classes that I took in school and visiting museum and art shows. Eventually I started to make art for myself as well, without needing to be told to do so.

Over time, art has also served as an outlet. It was something that I could do to counter the stress of school or work or whatever else was creating tension at the moment. Usually I was more active and productive during the night time when everyone else in the house was sleeping. My projects became a way to pass the time whether it was working on a painting for a class at school, or covering my dresser top to bottom, in sequins. I could work for hours on end without disrupting anybody else and without being disturbed as well.

Academically, art has always been an example of freedom. There were a limited number of art courses that I was required to take in high school. The only way that I could take art classes in later years of high school was if I had met my other course requirements. Signing up for art classes was like a special treat and a well-deserved break from the test-taking and essay-writing that was involved in almost every other class.

I’ve always been fascinated by jewelry and decoration. Eventually I discovered that I could create my own things to define my personal space- a painting for my room, a bracelet for my wrist. I’m interested in the ways in which art can define us; what we choose to wear on our bodies, what we decide to display in our homes, and what we create for ourselves or for other people.

In the upcoming year, I would like to become more focused in my work because I think that is something that I’ve never been. I’ve always enjoyed the act and process of making things, but have always been lacking in consistency. I have a tendency to pick things up and put them back down on a whim, and bounce from one thing to another rather than having any sort of clear cut goal in mind. Having only recently declared my major, I'm new to having art be the core focus of my studies, but I'm excited for the challenges and opportunities that I'm sure it will bring.

As a whole, I think I view art as a form of expression and individuality. It is not something that can be explained in terms of wrong or right like math or language or science so it becomes particular to not only the person creating it, but also to the people that are viewing it. The possibilities are endless because they change with each person that encounters a certain piece of work. Art is something that doesn’t necessarily have boundaries because it doesn’t depend on words to define it, but rather individual experiences and viewpoints.

I’m not 100% sure what I’d like to do for a career, but I would hope that art would in some way be a part of it because it is what I enjoy. I like looking at art, making it and learning about it. My mother has worked as a secretary since before I was born and my father worked in a factory for 35 years before retiring. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with either of these jobs, but after watching them for as long as I have I don’t think that sort of profession is right for me. I don’t want to end up doing something that is basically the same thing day after day. I’m attracted to the arts because they are ever-changing. If you get bored with one thing, you can just make something else.