I have always admired artists. They make beauty where there used to be nothing. As I kid I played in the mud and my daddy called it a masterpiece. As I grew older, I realized that I am blessed with many natural talents and art just isn’t one. I looked on as one of my good friends grew into an artist and she talked about how art freed her and she was able to express how she felt. I tried to draw or paint but it never turned out quite like I wanted. The first person to really recognize my passion for art was my sister Katie. She gave me pens and paper for Christmas and my birthday several years in a row but I never really thought I was any good. Then for graduation, I was given a huge supply of paint and pencils and pens and everything I could every need to make art. I painted something every single day for two months and really decided that art was something that I loved. When I got to Millsaps, I decided I wanted to be an art major even though I had never taken an art class in my life. So far, it has been a struggle but it has also been a lot of fun. This semester I am taking Beginning Drawing, and our professor is always telling us to draw what we see. I have taken to drawing hands a lot, mainly because they are a form of identity, and as a young changing person, I am still trying to find out who I am. By drawing my hand, I feel like I am getting closer to finding out who I am and what my purpose is in this life. However, I’m still not very good and I have to practice. I was in the art studio this past weekend and I thought to myself:

1. I really don’t know what to draw.
2. I guess I could draw my hand.
3. Hands are really hard to draw.
4. Maybe my hand should be holding something so I can cover part of it up.
5. Hands in a gesture are even harder to draw.
6. I wonder if I should get my palms read.
7. That stuff surely is all lies.
8. Maybe they can predict my future.
9. I got distracted and messed up on my finger.
10. Ok that looks really terrible.
11. I can’t believe I’m trying to major in art when I can’t even draw a hand.
12. Maybe I should switch majors.
13. Wow this drawing is taking forever.
14. If I just make this part up no one will know the difference.
15. Hey that actually kinda sorta maybe looks like a hand. I could totally sell this.