Ya know how Adele has her albums named after the age in which she completed them? That idea is how I want to model my artist statements. And yes, I said "statements" with an S. In the same sense as us aging, our perspectives and interests grow along with us. I officially declared myself a studio art major last semester, so I just completed all the foundations-level coursework. This also means I recently completed my portfolio review in which an artist's statement was a requirement. This got me thinking...what are my plans as an artist? What kind of message do I want to convey to my audience through my art? What medium and/or type of art would I be most interested in pursuing?

Besides me thoroughly enjoying drawing and painting, the answer is: I have no clue. I've only just begun diving into the various coursework offered at my university in the art department, and I'm having the most fulfilling experience doing so. Therefore, as a rising senior, here is my artist's statement at this stage of my life:

21

My mother noticed in me an intrinsic interest in the arts when I was young. Even though my high school experience consisted of many other things, that energy for art had always stuck with me. Unfortunately, many high schools today do not hold the arts in as high regard as they do STEM. When I arrived at UNG back in 2014, I was still in the mindset of pursuing a career in medicine because that was the “most fitting” thing to do. It wasn’t until I started taking classes at this liberal arts university did I feel open to new ways of thinking.

I started here as a biology major, switched to nursing, then switched to chemistry. I finally stopped listening to the judgment of those around me and self-reflected instead, trying to figure out what I really wanted to be studying. Even when I am sad, stressed or what have you, I always try to be consistent in everything I do. I focus on the details. I ask people how they are and genuinely want to know the answer. I don’t waste my time on my flaws because I have so many other qualities that are novel only to me, and that is something special. I realized that until I am happy with what I’m doing, I can never truly help another person. Today, as a rising senior at the University of North Georgia, after some serious soul-searching, I am a proud chemistry major. But I am also a proud studio art major. You can tack on an anthropology minor, too. I am at peace finally and beyond excited to enhance my skills and knowledge-base.

Everyone always asks me, “What do you plan to do with those three?” thinking they don’t make much sense together. My thought process actually has a calculated approach, in addition to me loving each of these subjects, of course. There is science in art and vice versa. There are also characteristics of science and art in every single culture in the world. Once we realize that all the disciplines are inherently connected, we wouldn’t be so narrow-minded. I find that my interests and skillset span more than one area of academia, and I want to see where they lead me.

My father fell victim to cancer and passed away last year. Until something like that happens to you and your family, it is difficult to understand just how quickly life can end for someone, including yourself. So what’s the point of trying to fit into a mold that isn’t meant to be yours? I want to strive to create my own mold and continue to reshape it until it is my time to be with God; every single day we grow and change into a newer version of yesterday’s self.

I cannot provide a conventional answer at this time in my life as to what my artistic intentions are because my life has never been conventional. That’s why I chose to title this what I did. I’m only 21 years old. And at 31 years old I’ll be at a different stepping stone. The same goes for when I’m 41 and 71. There is something out there that I am meant to do. I want to make a difference, and it doesn’t matter to me if it is for 100,000 people or for just one. There is so much emphasis on being unique, raw, and eccentric. “Gain some originality” is a phrase I often hear in the media. Well, I’m doing that right now with the three disciplines I’m choosing to immerse myself in.

Life isn’t about selling yourself short to something you have no passion for. It just so happens that my passions lie in more than one thing, and that is okay. I do know that when I am creating a work of art, my soul is happy. There is no other feeling like looking at a part of you, something that you created, out there for the world to see. It’s an act of letting others learn more about you, and also, you learning more about yourself. And that’s priceless.