I want to start this article off with a disclaimer: I'm not saying that all artists are like this, or that to be an artist you must relate to all these things. All I'm saying is that as far as my own person experience goes these are all things that clue me into my artsy-ness. With that out of the way I'll also say that some of these things may make absolutely no sense to y'all(tbh some don't even make sense to me, yet they are all true lol!)

1. I See Things Differently

I see things in details. I see the shadows, the shifting hues of colour, and the slight curves that make up things. I can look at a blank canvas and not see emptiness, but the image that I am about to take out of my mind and immortalize there. I can look at almost anyone or anything and see beauty. Natural, aesthetic beauty will make me want to capture it on paper every time I am faced with it. God, I have discovered, is the most talented artist of all, and His work constantly awes and inspires me.

2. I Think Things Differently

I think in daydreams 90% of the time, and those dreams often find their way onto a canvas. When something captures my attention I will feel the itch to capture it in art, and when I dream at night(which I do every night in vivid detail) I wake up with the need to put it to paper. Whether it be in the written form, or picture, it won't leave my mind until I've gotten it down.

3. I Have To Create Art

Though sometimes I will become busy and not be able to find time to sit and draw, some how or another I will end up doodling in note margins or drawing all over my hands. I have to draw, it's a necessity for me. It's like an itch I have to scratch, and the thought that one day I might have arthritis so bad in my hands that I won't be able to hold a pencil scares me to death. Drawing is therapeutic to me, it keeps me sane, and I'd hate to see what I'd become without it!

4. My Mind Is As Disorderly As My Room

If you've ever been in my room while it's in its natural state(as in my mom wasn't expecting company and hadn't made me clean it) then you'd know it's an absolute wreck. Clothes are strewn across the floor, the bed is unmade, and stacks of art supplies/ books are toppling over; but I swear I know where everything is! Much is the same in my mind; thoughts are half finished concept scattered about, and I have an awful attention span.

5. I Hardly Ever Love The Things I Create

Ask any artist, whether they be an actor, writer, or painter, and they'll likely tell you the same thing. We are very critical of what we create. I think it's a mixture of seeing the details of the piece while everyone else sees it as a whole, and how we know what it looked like in our mind and that on the canvas it didn't translate as well as we imagined. Whatever it may be, I normally don't like what I make, or I only like bits and pieces of it.

6. I'm Forgetful

Literally, this one I can't stress enough. I forget almost everything. I forget names, appointments, due dates, and just about everything else(except for song lyrics, go figure.) It's super frustrating, and my mom hates it, but if it needs remembering then count on me not to. I have to make lists, and carry around calendars to attempt to keep things together!

7. I Can Remember What Was Happening In the Background When I Create Things

This one is one of the things that might not make sense to a lot of you. Whenever I'm creating something(whether it be a drawing or painting) I can remember what was going on in the background. Even when I'm flipping through old sketch books froms years ago, I can still remember. Usually it's something like what was playing on the TV, or a particular song playing on my phone. Sometimes, however, I can remember where I was when I was drawing, or a conversation that was happening around me. I can even point at certain parts of a picture and say, "F.R.E.I.N.D.S. was playing when I did that, and Rugrats here, and there was that annoying automatic brakes commercial..."

8. I Find Inspiration In the Most Random Things

I can be inspired by normal things like poetry, sunsets, and songs....and then I can be inspired by the freckles on someones nose, or that particular green of a random strangers eyes, and sometimes even by a discarded Coke bottle. Glass bottle trees, graffiti on trains, and combat boots are a few more randoms that make me want to draw.

9. Whenever We Needed To Draw Things In School Projects Everyone Looked To Me For Help

As soon as the words "...someone will need to draw..." comes out of the teachers mouth, the entire class swivels around to look at me. My first thought is usually along the lines of, "I don't even know half you people, so how did y'all know I could draw??" And then the class usually ends with half the people there circled around the group I end up in, watching me draw. People staring over my shoulder use to drive me insane, but by this point I hardly notice anymore.

10. I Get Tired of Being Told By Non-Artists That They "Can't Even Draw A Stick Figure"

This one is the general response of most people when they see my work. It's not so much that it annoys me as that I know that you can accomplish much more than a simple stick man, especially if you took some classes. It sounds like you're putting yourself down and I'd hate for something I've made to make you feel like that. Even though I know that most of the time people mean it as a compliment, it comes across as down playing yourself. Another thing that actually does get annoying is when people ask "Did you really make that?" or better yet "Was that traced?" Yes I made it, and no it wasn't traced. To be honest it's hard for me to trace, as in much much harder than just drawing it in the first place.

11. The Pieces Of Art We Love Everyone Else Hates and The Pieces We Hate Everyone Else Loves

In the rare moments where I hand over my sketch book to be flipped through by someone I trust, they always proclaim love to the drawings I've been meaning to rip out and burn. Then when I direct them to some of the few that I'm semi okay with they're like,"Ehhhh yeah that one's alright.." For example, in elementary art class I did a face drawing of some girl I'd conjured up in my mind. I used to struggle with noses back then, and so I could never be satisfied with how she turned out. As I sat there, hating the picture with a burning passion, my art teacher comes sweeping by, grabs the drawing and sends it to a museum to be put on display. I was mortified. Oh well, I guess it's kinda funny how that works out!

I hope y'all enjoyed a peek into the strange mind of an artist! It was fun to write, lol.