In many ways, art is my best friend—actually she’s my sister. I have pictures of me at seven months old, pencil in hand, just doodling away. I got to pre-school and I would choose painting over any other activity. In elementary, I preferred art over watching movies. I think art has always been in my life and that is one reason for my fondness of it. I don’t really think I could ever go a day without creating art or even looking at it. It makes my life and those around me better—and to me, therein lies the importance.
An anonymous quote that has been cycling the Internet since before I was in middle school goes, “Earth without art, is just eh.” I remember reading those words and thinking that’s actually very true. Art has made my life truly interesting and much more exciting.
Think hard about everything that you see, everything that you love. Art is somehow intertwined within that. Art is everything.
Some people question the importance of art’s existence, and to me that’s a question that should never be raised. I feel like art is the biggest movement in existence. Some people don’t understand the layers of it. Art is the essence of storytelling and the epitome of silent communication.
My journey with art has come a long way. I remember when I was careless about my art, I would stuff it all in my backpack or randomly throw it away. The people around me would look at me like I was crazy for doing so and their concern for my work made me self-aware about how I handled my work.
When I was in middle school one of my classmates commented on how cool a portrait drawing I did was—she even offered to buy it. In that moment I knew art was something bigger than just doodles in class or something to do when I got bored. Art became a statement. From that moment on, my passion for art grew daily.
The desire to bond with art grew within me so much that after months of being sure I was never going to go to college, I decided to major in animation. I feel like art is one of the biggest faucets to my imagination and my ability to communicate with people. Through my art I am able to express emotion that I could never speak of. I can draw my mother and let that say “I love you” on its own. Art is the biggest way for me to convey everything, every notion that I carry. I honestly feel that, with the way I reveal myself through art, I could go without speaking. I can rely on art to never falter, nor waiver, as my voice can. Art is one of the greatest driving forces in my life and it is the reason why I’ll have a career.
Often times, people don’t get the impact that one single brush stroke can have. It can create a domino effect with an array of strokes and swipes that create something beautiful. My world is so much more beautiful and my life has purpose now, because of art. I know that with my hands, I can create something worthwhile. So, when you or anyone else questions the importance of art, think deeply about where art lays in your life, then think again about how much duller your life would be without it. The “Earth without art, is eh,” is truly the only statement needed to reaffirm why art is necessary in life.
