A Deep Appreciation For All Things Artistic
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an artist. I spent a lot of time drawing — or at least trying to. Problem was, I rarely finished a drawing before starting a new one. I probably could have been good, if I had committed more seriously to it, had the patience and actually finished what I started. Instead, I constantly compared my skill set to that of the best artists I knew. Their work put mine to shame. Could’ve been because one of the people whose work I compared mine to was my Uncle’s — a man who had art degrees from various Universities and had been painting and sketching his entire life.
When you’re eight years old, it’s probably best not to compare your abstract, half finished drawings of trees and clouds to the work found inside an actual artist’s charcoal sketchbook. It’s a sure confidence crusher. By the time I was ten or so, I left the drawing and painting to Uncle Dave and decided to find another dream. On the rare occasion I’m given the opportunity to do so today, I still look through his sketchbooks in awe. The man is exceptionally talented.
Throughout middle school, one of my best friends was this kid who spent ALL of his time in class working on these deeply complex and creative graffiti pieces in his notebooks. He did this obsessively and possessed a truly divine and God given talent for doing so. It blew my mind how he was often…
