Being an Artist: My Passion, Place of Freedom and Courage

I remember constantly wondering if there was a way that I could make my life meaningful or if it even had meaning. I was just a thirteen year old starting to figure out her own self. My life revolved around wanting to please the people around me, and I never felt like myself. At one point, I was introduced to a group of local youth artists, which I never knew would open the doors to what eventually became my artistic passion. I vividly remember watching my instructor paint beautiful canvases that depicted the beauty of what being in the Latinx community meant. From that moment on, I realized that I wanted to depict my own story through the form of art.

The start of high school, the worst time of my life, and one that I would never forget. The happy childhood that I once had began deteriorating, and the relationship between my parents fell apart. I witnessed my mother battle through depression and it placed a huge toll on me. Coming home often to tough situations I ended up finding my escape through the form of creating art. With every piece I created, I poured all of my soul into it. As an artist, I was able to create a different persona that others did not usually see. Among my pieces, there was a young individual who was trying to find herself through her pain. From delicate to forceful strokes. She was seeking hope and empowerment through a very dark world. She was vulnerable and not the insecure and quiet person that others know her as.

The mediums I often work with have come to be pen and ink as well as graphite pencil. I am interested in using those materials because I consider myself being delicate and precise with how I use them. I enjoy using them because I like to be in control of my strokes and mark making and it is something that I came to admire. As an artist I have enjoyed studying the human figure and rendering human expression. I came to admire this art path because of my experience drawing the human figure at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. To me it was the best challenge I had ever placed on myself as an artist and I was taught to observe more freely and objectively. I remember being so hesitant about placing myself in such an environment. However, the first day of class brought me to a whole new level and it taught me how to take myself more seriously. The work was hard and intense, but most importantly, it taught me about what I truly enjoyed even if it felt overwhelming. There were many trials and errors having to deal with such a whole new medium being pastels. However, I realized that I can work through any challenge that comes across and learn from past mistakes. The most valuable lesson to me was knowing how to not let my fears and worries get the best of me and that is something that remains within me.

My greatest fear has been leaving the world before I have time to make my mark. The reason why art has impacted my life is because it has allowed me to leave my mark for others to see. It has brought me closer to other people and being part of my first exhibit at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, I felt the immense pride that I had never experienced before and had always longed for. Through the influence of my professor I was given the opportunity to leave a mark on the school, my classmates, and the school, at the end everything had also left its mark on me.

Being an artist has allowed me to find my soul, my heart and courage. My emotions and dreams are amplified through art and has brought me to a state of limitless freedom. There’s nothing that can define me more than being an artist.