Art: The Color to My Life’s Canvas (A Memoir)

Throughout my life, I stayed in my home, but it is not the houses we have instead it is the houses in our minds. For me, I call it home, but others might call it a “comfort zone” or a “safe space.” I stayed in my humble abode for far too long, as I grew, I discovered new things, I’m myself when I’m home, which gave me the freedom to explore and wonder what intrigues me. Then I discovered art, it was love at first sight, a breathtaking moment. Disney movies, cartoons, and comics; I’m not just watching or reading them, but I have used them to gather inspiration. Every time I would watch or read anything about drawing, my eyes would gleam with delight enjoying new stories and seeing different styles of art.

 It was the start of my artistic journey, and the time when I get to have a dream, a dream that I want to pursue as I grow. “I need to draw” art was an addiction; every time I get to draw something I feel calm and satisfied. Hundreds of papers were drawn because of me, the moment I see a blank, clean, soft paper I would grab a pen or pencil to draw anything I could think of. I would draw animals and landscapes whenever I felt the urge to draw, I could finish a new notebook and fill it with drawings if I want to. However, what I love to draw the most are humans, the reason why I’ve invested my time studying humans was because of the emotion, the expression of feelings that can be seen in the movement of their bodies, the clothes they wear, and the flow of their hair.

Learning to draw was difficult but what is beautiful in art is the challenges that allow you to learn, improve, and develop your art. Many people tend to stop drawing. I’ve seen it myself and I was disappointed to see them stopped. As an artist, I did try my best to encourage them to continue. Sometimes I experienced these feelings too, the loss of motivation and the urge to stop drawing. It gave me a hard time, it was a choice for me to choose, whether I should be like the others, or if I continue this journey. Well, me being me, I was intrigued by this path, on the future I will have if I continue to draw, besides I already started this art journey, so I asked myself, “Why should I stop now? What do I earn when I ended this journey?” in the end, I chose to continue even if I didn’t see any progress and improvements in my art, I pursued and tried to be better.

Many people asked me, “Is your interest in art will bring you success?” that question also struck my head, I did not feel it, but deep down there’s this sense of hesitation that lingers in me every time people asked me that foreboding question. However, I do not respond to this form of a question, my conscience tells me to stop wasting the time I have on people who hinder me to stop my passion, my turning point in life that changed my life, that gave me purpose in life. Because of art I was able to see the world differently, the little details of the buildings, the intricate patterns of nature, the colors of the sky, the road, and the hues of every human I see, and the events of today’s society. Art was the one who taught me to value everything I see; these encounters are sources of inspiration, a reference view for the artists, everything in this world signifies a deep meaning, and art made me see it.

Art is my comfort zone, it was also the one that made me step out of it, helped me learn great things, and was one of the aspects of my life that made me the person I am today. It guided me as I grow, try new different things, and use my art as an instrument to support, inspire, and teach others. Whenever I’m in a stressful situation, I surrender myself to art, I draw, conceptualize, admire, and observe the world around me. Art is not just my comfort, but it is my home, a colorful home, with paint strokes of cool colors as you enter, but with powerful and warm colors the deeper you go in. It will be full of artworks I created mistakes and failures that I committed, all my inspirations of why I drew, and at the center of my home, there is a large soft blue sofa bed, and a cabinet of art supplies, where I can lay and rest. In this journey, there is no end to improvement, even though I’ve learned so much in art, I still have a lot to learn, experience, and develop. I cannot lose what was given to me, since my passion for art and creativity have made me who I am today.