With budget cuts all over, school districts are trying to figure out what to do. In my area, if Illinois doesn't settle on a budget, our local schools will have to close. It's sad that education has come to this. What will the youth do? Where will they go? How will they learn or express themselves? These were questions our parents asked while we were in school too however, they were trying to take our art programs.

There are several different disciplines within the broad spectrum of art. There are visual which could be painting or drawing, etc. Poetry, writing, and written expressions are also art. You constantly had to do this in English class. Then, you have the performing side. This is singing, dancing, acting, and every different form, in those categories. Did you know the computer you're looking at, your favorite album, the TV show you watch on Netflix, and the movie you pay $10 to go see, is also art. I don't mean the acting or talent in it, I mean the actual thing. It is all Art.

My whole life, art has played a major role. I started out young with singing and acting, eventually adding band. I played the cello, flute, and alto sax. I was a first chair soprano two and was very active in performing arts. These everyday tasks were so ingrained and special to me, I went to Savannah College of Art and Design, my freshman year of college. There, I learned a completely new line of respect, for the rest of the arts. I knew how hard it was to be a performer. We work our tails off to only do a show for an hour or so a couple times. But at SCAD, I was forced to take prerequisite classes like any other school. My pre-recs were Design and Elements, Color Theory, Photoshop, Design 3D, and other courses just like them. I excelled. I absolutely loved art even more after those. I came back to a regular school, in the Midwest, surrounded again by football jocks and peers who thought art was pointless and useless.

Art is a way to express yourself. I write when I'm mad, sad, angry, or happy. My artworks represent my passions, fears, questions, concerns, strengths, and victories. If some would open up to the fact that art is more than a paint brush, microphone, or ballet shoes, this would improve our minds so much more.

When you create an advertisement, you are creating art. When you publish some marketing for that striving Fortune 500 company, you just published art. In the least complex way, when you post an Instagram photo, even after adding all your touch-ups and filters, YOU JUST POSTED ART. Graffiti is art. Naturally, we express ourselves through words, pictures, or drawings. Where we know it or not, we have art all around us. Why should children be deprived of this?

I write a newsletter, do marketing, have a small crafting business, and write for The Odyssey. I enjoy art. So much so, I want to open my own art gallery. You too will love art once you find your discipline and appreciation for it.