Growing up in Los Angeles and then in Pasadena California introduced me to various forms of art right away. I remember my first introduction to art was tagging names and then graffiti art on walls. I never understood how it was done but I always had a crazy feeling when I saw it plastered in the city.
One day my curiosity got the best of me, and I started asking my homies at school and then the older cats. I learned very quickly that although graffiti was super fresh in expression and seems to happen so fast, it was indeed an acquired skill that took discipline, fearlessness, and execution ability under pressure. No matter how bad someone wants to execute anything, it takes a while to understand the various components that comes with ownership of the craft.
My curiosity then turned to hunger, and I was all in with the arts. I began doing some tags, and graffiti. Not enough graffiti to be known for it but enough to expand my artistic hunger and artistic expression. Spending long hours in the house when the streetlights came on helped develop my craft because I had to be in the house, and I thought that o may as well do something with my time.
I started with cartoons and then portrait arts. I then created a business creating art for clients and the rest is history. I have never put down pencils, pens, paints, and alternative objects to create art with since I was an 8-year-old kid.
My artistic appetite expanded every time I saw a new form of art. I never copied people's styles, it was more so their styles encouraged me to go harder and to go deeper with my abilities. I evolved over time and settled into my own style. After a while, I wanted to see my work on shirts, so I began to learn screen printing, which is another form of art. Like I said before, no matter how bad you want to do something, you much spend time with it to become great at doing it. Nothing just happened for no reason and knowledge does not just jump into your head for no reason. It was new, it was different, it was hard to learn, but I learned it and I continue to do it now. I have created a clothing brand where I print my own shirts. I came a long way.
So where are you at? Do you draw? Paint? Sing? Bake? or anything else? No matter what you do, it is an art form that you must decide to acknowledge as such. Every time someone sees my work they say, “I wish I can draw like you.” We all have a special gift which makes us all artists of some sort. The key to your craft though is artistic development if your craft and how bad you want to express it to the world. If you do not want to share t with the world, at least share it with your world. Your family and friends would love to see and experience your craft.
You are an artist no matter if you thought you were or not. It doesn't matter what you do. You can always remember this; if you create a workplan, idea to help someone escape addiction, bake pies, fry fish, make banners, decorate homes, or fix cars, you are an artist because your actual input made something more special than it was before you touched it. Embrace your form of art and tell others why you love it so much!
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