The Emerging Artist

The younger years

   Since I was a child I was excited about Art. From drawing to experimenting with different colors and crafts, I was intrigued to learn how to own my gift. As we all know, art is a way to express yourself, whether it be through music, creating different things, to a variety of other talents and gifts people have. Mine was always crafting and creating new ways to make or illustrate something. At a young age starting out I was interested in anything that had to do with making something out of anything.

  One of my biggest supporters and go to when it came to crafting was my Grandma J. She taught me how to hone my gift and share it with the world. When I was younger, I was all about drawing and being adventurous. She would bring home reams of paper for me to draw on from work and always had it for whenever I felt inspired. When I was in the 7th grade, I had the chance to join the Girl Scouts and was put into troop 403 and learn new things. I know you’re thinking “Girl Scouts Em… Really” but in all honesty it was a experience I’m glad that I was able to have growing up. I got to learn everything I could with crafting, from paper folding to quilting, making jewelry and even making my own beads out of clay. With my grandma by my side I had so many patches and badges. I came from generations of Girl Scouts did i mention that? My Grandma, Aunts and Mom were all Girl Scouts growing up and it helped in a lot learning some of the fundamentals I have today.

   Now we heard about Girl Scouts and how it helped in who I am today as a woman and a artist lets talk about the craziness of high school.

   When I was a teenager I went to a Charter High School in Boynton Beach Florida. If you don’t know what a charter school is, it is a school where high school grade students get to learn high school courses and get to learn a trade as well. Trades such as, Veterinary Assisting, Automotive Technology and body work, Graphic Design, and Nursing among other skills.

   I began high school in 2010, and had no idea what I wanted to do. While I always was creative many people always said I needed to learn a real trade. I had a huge love for animals so I was encouraged to choose Veterinary Assisting. For 2 years, I studied hard learning different medical terms, diseases, grooming, and basic terminology for Vet training we got in high school. However, All my notes were covered in doodles and different drawings I did during lectures which of course my notes were all color coded and written in bright colored pens. Definitely the artist in me.

   Sophomore year, I encountered many obstacles. From bullying to my best friend passing I started to loose myself. I was just not happy anymore and the thought of staying in the vet trade was not working for me. The only thing I felt like I had left as a outlet was my art. It was time for a change and for me to take control of my future and happiness.

The middle of the school year before winter break and the second semester of 2013, I decided to take my high school years back and make the rest of my time there positive. I decided I was ready for a change and applied for a transfer to the Graphic Design Academy. The guidance counselor was very supportive as she was there for all of the madness that went on for me that year and the year before. She said it was worth a shot and would be beneficial after the year I had. Not too long after that she pulled me out of class so I could show the Graphic Design teacher my Sketches and let him see my potential to grow in his academy. The sketch book had many of my drawings I had been practicing on and was just one of many I had at home. When Showing the teacher and hearing the good feedback on my work and art I was inspired to excel in everything I did and wanted to grow to bigger things which included Digital Art. I was accepted into the academy after winter break and in the class by the next semester.

   Little did I know, this was the first big decision I would make for myself. This decision would open new doors and opportunities for my future.

   Let’s fast forward, it’s after winter break 2013 and the start of a new semester. I was so nervous to start my new class. I was feeling like the new kid even though I had attended that school for 2 and a half years at that point. The pressure and voices of everyone telling me that Art wasn’t a career it was a hobby was definitely weighing on my mind. Little did they all know, that graphic design is a huge industry and I was determined to prove everyone wrong.

   In this academy I was introduced to Adobe Creative Suite. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop were the first programs I learned. Although let me say Adobe Illustrator was definitely not the easiest to learn at first, but after a while I got the hang of it. I was selecting things using brushes creating new designs in no time. Illustrator had to be my favorite programs I learned and know how to use. It opened my eyes to what I really love which is digital illustration. To this day I still absolutely love this program. So, I practiced and practiced knowing that I wanted to learn as much as I could and wanted to pass the certification test at the end of the course. One obstacle I ran into is when we went to take the test the Program was the newer version and it made a difference. None the less I tried as hard as I possibly could to pass this certification test. One thing you learn in the industry is programs are constantly evolving and you can either evolve with it or fall to the bottom and I knew from the first day I wanted to be successful. Hard work always pays off I passed that certification that day with a high score.

   Coming in late to the Graphic Design program and passing that test felt so motivating. Made me hungry for more knowledge, skills, and practice. What made me feel accomplished the most was finding somewhere where I felt like I belonged. Art had always been my passion and I finally got a chance to run at it full force. Such a relief knowing I fit somewhere because I didn’t before. This leap was just the first in the years to come. It was only 11th grade and 12th would be even better.

  Senior year was my first full year being in the Graphic Design Academy. This was the final year of high school and I couldn’t wait to graduate since the first day of class. I learned Adobe Photoshop a little more in depth and finally got to take my second round of certifications. In all actuality this was a beginners course and usually was taught to Freshman students. None the less, I challenged myself to learn the program. By the time certifications came I was ready and put my all into it passing with a decent score. My favorite part of this academy was that not only did I get to learn digital art, we all got a chance to learn fine arts as well. With so many resources there were so many opportunities. These also included different contests and hands on projects. These contests and projects included painting and digital artwork. I entered a few of these contests in which i got to learn different techniques, mediums, and styles.

   My personal favorite that I had a chance to paint was a beautiful painting of sea turtles for Artigras. Artigras is a art show/ festival that brings artists and others from all over to see local artists and their works. This festival took place in Jupiter this particular year. I had never had my artwork featured anywhere so this was such a huge event for me. Submitted and being featured was shocking to me, my work would be seen by thousands. My family and I went with my free tickets I received and there it was among my classmates work we had our own space with my artist information right next to my painting. That was one of the most exciting days of my life if I’m being completely honest my family was so proud.

   Later on that year, I was offered many opportunities for college with my focus being fine arts and graphic design. Picking a school was a challenge, I knew what I wanted and was prepared to wait for what called to me.

   The first school I went to see was The Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale. I went to the tour of the school and when walking in I was excited to hear what they offered but that would soon change. I was new to this graphic design study but I am a fast and hands on learner. The beginning of the tour they sat us down for a slide show, the first red flag was that everyone was so bored and falling asleep and I was not feeling it at that point. We attended the first class as they lead us into a room where they learned painting programs and different works. I was impressed by the work but was not retaining anything due to the lack of colors on the walls and throughout the school. Who gets inspired by black and grey walls? We walked out at that point I knew that I would not flourish there and so did my family. We decided to move onto the next school.

   I toured Digital Media arts college the next week and this was a complete 180 compared to the Art Institute. they showed us animations students in the college made as well as different movie posters and where their alumni ended up. It was very impressive to me and my family so we decided to apply.

Digital Media Arts College

    I got accepted into Digital Media Arts College (DMAC) May 2014. Only to find out that this college had everything i could ask for in a school. Unlike the other schools I had toured this one had art all over the walls created by the students, the rooms were painted crazy neon colors such as greens and oranges and blues, and the teachers were literally geniuses in the graphic design world. I thought and still think so anyway.

   However, starting out there was definitely a rough start with my first teacher. He taught basic drawing and all we drew was a style called “still art” and while some may find that fascinating it really wasn’t my style if I’m being honest. We drew that style the whole time we took his class. Not gonna lie dude rubbed me the wrong way and had a rough teaching style… but that did not discourage me and now that I’m older and graduated college I realize that it was just a fundamental he was trying to teach us because being able to draw what you see is not an easy thing to do without practice. So kudos to you professor if you ever read this.

   The rest of my years at DMAC were really great. I’ve always been the outcast… the girl who everyone felt was different from my voice or just my quirky personality. When I started mingling with the people who attended college with me I met some of the most talented artists and made the best of friends. I felt included. No longer was I the girl who walked around aimlessly looking for people to accept me, I found my people. I have a friend who helped me a lot through college he always gave the best help, critiques and support when I needed it. For that I will always be appreciative, but not just him there are many people who inspired me and as adults still inspire me today even if it is through social media. The community we had at this school was definitely inclusive, unique, and one of a kind. Everyone always wanted to help each other out. College was one of the best experiences by far.

   Aside from the students who were the absolute best, we also had the best professors who challenged us every class to be better artists. They brought even the general education courses to the art field making even the most boring classes interesting. There were some really tough professors however but they always pushed us to be our best. The good and bad I can say that I wouldn’t have wanted to learn the art trade from anyone else. They definitely made college an Adventure.

   So, let’s talk about the craziest class I had encountered as a art student…. Anatomy. Out of all the classes this one wasn't my favorite but definitely was the wildest. Now I know you’re thinking “How could anatomy be wild?” well let me tell you about it. In this class we were learning and drawing muscles bone structure and all parts of the human body. That was the fun part. The wild part was that amongst that we also had to learn anatomy from live models NAKED. Can you imagine a old man posing completely naked spread eagle? Well let me tell you it definitely caught us off guard! None the less, even though the class had a lot of men and women naked in front of us that we had to draw, it was definitely an interesting way for art students to learn anatomy.

This picture was done for my anatomy final. Improvement is a understatement.

   There was a lot of interesting classes and professors the first 3 years of college. I could tell you guys so many different experiences but lets get to the point, which is this school was definitely unique.

   This was a 4 year bachelor program for Graphic Design, starting out we were just a art college but as a surprise to all of us we would soon be University Students. Not by Choice but by force.

   So in the year 2018 for profit schools were forced to shut down. This was a rough time for us DMAC students because we didn’t know what would come next. We knew our building and original school was about to close its doors but what we didn’t know was that we were already bought.

    Lynn University bought out our school and it was a rough transition. One day we were just the art school majors who all were bonded to each other and the next we had a choice to make.

   They called a meeting of all students and staff to break the news and give us a choice. We could either quit the majors we had been studying for years and fight to get our student loans forgiven with no degree to show for our hard work. Or we could sign ourselves over to Lynn where they would continue our education but mix us in with their student population and their own teachers. Which was a no brainer for most of us we would go to the university we worked too hard to not receive our diplomas. This worked in our favor though, we now had degrees from a recognized university and any major we picked after our credits would transfer. We weren’t aware but our College Degrees from DMAC wouldn’t have been worth as much if we would have graduated from our original college and those who graduated before us kind of got the short end of the stick on this one.

   So, we start university to finish out our degrees that fall, but that would be half the battle. The hardest part was transferring our student aid to this new school. We had a lot of help with our financial aid at DMAC but Lynn was a whole different system. To be honest, they had messed mine up the spring of that year and I would not be able to start that semester and had to skip it. I was at the finish line and this felt like such a set back. I almost didn’t finish… that whole semester I had debated would I go back and finish or give up and call it quits. Imagine doing everything right going to school for 3 years straight and then having to take a break cause they couldn’t figure out how to make my financial aid work. None the less I did return in the winter to finish my last few classes. Honestly, talking from my perspective now I can say I am so thankful I went back and finished my degree.

   Now, let’s talk about the school. We were the outcasts when we all arrived at the school. Everyone knew we were different and that the university had bought our school as well as the Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale. If you read the beginning of my story you’d know that originally I also toured that school before touring DMAC. Ironic isn’t it? At least they also hired on our professors, so it wasn’t as bad as we expected. The cafeteria was awesome though and the buildings were neat tons of activities available to us and more classes we didn’t have at DMAC. This was definitely a different experience than we started out with. There were a lot of cool events and good resources available to us. When we got there the Café had Oktoberfest, food to celebrate the German Culture and this was just one of many. Not to mention the fact that there were a lot of options for food in the cafeteria and on campus perks to going to a big college.

   I finally Graduated with my BFA from Lynn University among my friends May 2019. This is definitely one of my greatest accomplishments.

   Through the ups and downs I’m grateful for the ones I encountered along the way and the experience I had. Not everyone gets the most out of their education but these are skills and an adventure I carry with me today.

   It’s not easy finding your place in the art industry skilled or not it takes a lot of time and effort. Constantly I’ve heard “What are you even doing with your degree?” Or “You need to find a graphic design job with a established company”. Here's the thing though, I’ve always wanted to be my own boss even starting out in this design field. I don’t want to be forced to do my work a certain way and have other people taking credit. This lead to me creating this business that also got to include me making things with my hands such as intricate and unique trinkets as well as graphic illustrations.

   Something I’m extremely proud of myself for is that all of the graphics from my logo, website, and all marketing materials I can proudly say are designed by me as well as all of the handmade trinkets you see today. This started as a dream and I’m ready to build my brand, name as an artist, and improve my products and designs every step of the way.

   This is the story Leading up to the brand I have been building today. I hope you all have enjoyed hearing a little more in-depth about me and my journey and will stick with me to see me grow as an individual, artist, and most importantly a business owner.