I photographed this a little poorly. There’s just too much contrast so it ended up a bit too bright. I was going to go back and redo it, but it doesn’t really matter. I’ll be finished with this piece tomorrow and so I’ll make sure the finalized photograph is as high in quality as possible. However, no matter how well I photograph my drawings, they always just look a lot better when viewed in person. I keep hearing that from people, at least.

Why create art? It’s a question that I’ve been hearing lately. Though, not a question directed at me specifically, but just asked around in general. Their answers about why they were creative were all about making the world a better place to live in, or to elicit certain emotions from people. I don’t really think my answer goes that deep yet. I still feel pretty young, especially as far as my art career goes, so my answer will very likely change as I move forward and gain experience. However, for right now, I create art because other people tell me I’m good at it.

I’m 34 years old, and I don’t really have any major achievements that I can be proud of; I’ve worked a lot of random jobs here and there, I’ve been a genuinely good person, and my doctor tells me my blood pressure is pretty awesome. Frankly, I am moderately proud of those things, but those are things that I would hope most anyone could say about themselves.

However, not everyone can say that they have the talent, commitment, and motivation to become a full-time artist. So, I guess that sets me apart from anyone I know. Whether I actually end up getting paid doing this or not, I can still call myself an artist either way. Right now, I have friends, family, and the occasional complete stranger that remind me I have some talent, I’ve built a website with a vast portfolio that keeps me motivated, and when I hit that publish button every single day I’m reminding myself that I’m very committed to keep this going. For as long as it takes.

So, why create art? I guess it’s because it sets me apart from the people around me. It’s that thing I’m good at, that everyone comments on. It makes me feel good about myself.