Example from a former student: Why I Am an Artist

 Why Am I An Artist?

My journey to becoming an artist is not the typical I started drawing when I was little and have not put the pencil down since. My story began on August 30^th, 2016, in my high school gym during volleyball practice. I had just finished my second day of my senior year of high school and was participating in an after-school volleyball practice in preparation for an upcoming game. My team was having a rough day which made our coach push us even harder as punishment. Our punishment came in the form of a brutal serving drill and lots of laps. I however, was dished out the cruelest punishment of the day after my coach served the ball across the net and right into my face. 

It collided with my nose and forehead, bouncing off my face and towards one of my teammates who was able to send the ball back over the net. Now, as a defensive player who spent most of their time rolling around the floor in the back of the court, taking a ball to the face was nothing new to me, but this time, it felt different. I was disoriented and to this day I cannot remember some of the events that took place after the ball high-fived my face. My disorientation led me to not realize how I moved from one side of the court to the other and understand who or how another teammate sent the ball back over the net after it hit my face. I continued participating in practice because I thought I just in shock of what had happened but after I second ball almost hit me in the face because I could not see clearly, I thought something more serious could be going on. I struggled to finish practice and when it was over, I alerted my coach as to what had happened. 

My coach was quite concerned that what I was feeling was quite serious and sent me to the trainer, who recommended I see my doctor if the symptoms did improve over night. The following day I followed up with my doctor since I was displaying the typical symptoms of a concussion: headache, light and sound sensitivity, poor memory, and concentration. After an evaluation, it was quickly confirmed that I did indeed have a concussion. I was told I would be better in a week, then a few weeks, then a few months, and then a few years. To this day, over five years later, I still never recovered from my concussion and since I could no longer play volleyball, I had to come up with a new game plan. I thought about what my strengths were, and creativity was a strength that really stuck out to me because ever since I was little, creativity has been a major part of my life thanks to my mom. 

From the time I can remember, my mom was always making something whether it be crafts or pages to put in my sister’s or my own scrapbooks. Since she was always involved in making something, she had my sister and I do the same thing, always doing crafts, drawing, or painting at my easel. This idea of always creating was a concept I continued and still partake in daily. My creativity gave me a new purpose after my dream of going to college to play volleyball and trying to play professionally was taken away from me. I decided to focus on practicing my skills with an emphasis on painting and drawing and decided my next move would be to pursue a career as an artist and attend art school. 

Focusing on art full time has given me a reason to get out of bed on days where my post-concussion symptoms are unbearable. Some days my injury can feel really debilitating and I can barely leave bed which is frustrating because I have no control over it. I have no freedom from my situation which is why art can be healing for me. I am in control of what I am creating, and art gives one the freedom to create your own rules. There is also freedom in the choice of materials used to bring your vision to life. With all the freedom art brings, it allowed me to create my own safe space to step away from what I was struggling with in life and have an outlet for all the pent-up frustrations I was or am having and that is why I am an artist.