Ken's Corner: How did I get here?

So I didn't start getting into art seriously until Middle School. However, like most kids, I have been drawing for a very long time. I started out just drawing things that I liked. For example, one of the things I really enjoy are cartoons. I would draw fan art from the shows that I loved watching. However as I started to replicate these characters, I wanted to learn more about how to create my own characters. So I did just that. While they were far from perfect, I always felt this sense of pride after I finished a piece because it felt like I was doing something amazing. Even more than that though, I liked the fact that I could make others happy with my art. I remember when my grandfather was alive, he would sit at his kitchen table and just watch me draw simply because he was so proud of me. Art became a way for me to express myself as someone who is normally not so outspoken or good at expressing herself. Fast forwarding to college, I knew I wanted to do something with art but my mom highly encouraged me to find a way to connect my art to the digital world. At first I was hesitant because that world was still so unfamiliar to me, even though at the time I was drawing digitally on my iPad. I am so glad she did, because I would have never found my love of design! I found it so relaxing to sit and create logos and branding kits because it felt like I was analyzing and problem solving as I did things like create concept sketches or begin color sampling. Even here in Agon, I started out just watching from the sidelines. Eventually however I found new ways to contribute from what I was learning in my design courses. I worked on marketing materials, helped format magazines, and just began to rethink my approach to my artwork. The nice thing about majoring in digital art, is that I learn so much because my major is so broad. The hard part is actually narrowing down what I want to do after I graduate. I have learned so much to the point where I feel like I am qualified to start in several different fields. But it gets confusing when you are trying to do tasks such as creating a portfolio. I am a multimedia artist, but normally people want you to specialize in just one thing when you go into the job market. It is daunting, and scary, and honestly makes me overthink all the time as a senior. But I am challenging myself this year to be patient with myself and to stop expecting to crank out work all on my own. My support system is amazing and being surrounded by artists is such a blessing as I get advice on how I can grow as a creative. Right now, I am just trying to have fun exploring. Lately I have been working a lot on marketing and copywriting, but I could pick up a new skill any day now. I think there is a beauty in not knowing everything my future holds, but I am so blessed and grateful for the experiences and people I found in the present.