I have always valued art for its aesthetic quality. I never intentionally create work with emotional themes, and even functional pieces feel a bit too limiting. Skill and creativity are what excite me above all else. And even if I cannot match the skill of another artist, I can at least be completely different. I was always inspired by the artwork in media that I consumed every day, such as TV shows, movies, books, and video games. All these different mediums contained a multitude of amazing styles that created a powerful desire in me to attempt what I was seeing.

The first piece in my show is an illustrated children’s book. Picture books such as this contain some of the first artwork that children will see, it’s the first type of artistic inspiration that they experience in life. The second piece I included is a short comic book, featuring original characters, writing, and illustrations by me. Comic books influenced so much about not only my art, but the way I thought about art. Young people can become easily attached to things because of their visuals, despite not having the artistic vocabulary to describe why. Something about comic books inspired me to draw, and that has stuck with me all the way to adulthood. The final piece of the show has drawings taken directly from my childhood and reimagined. I used to fill sketchbooks with illustrations of characters and monsters, usually inspired by books and other things mentioned previously. The purpose of this piece is to serve as a celebration of young people’s imaginations. By redrawing the characters of my past with my current knowledge of artistic principles and techniques, I hope to convey the importance of inspiring children to create art.

Though my focus is in graphic design, illustration is what interests me, as it allows me to fully take advantage of imagination and inspiration. My goal is for viewers to see my work and remember the reasons that they were inspired to create art. Even if they cannot connect to my specific pieces, I hope they will at least understand my own reasons for becoming interested in art. Considering the relationship between art and youth is something I believe we could all improve at.