As a little girl I always loved fashion, picking out dresses, bows, heels and just everything. There wasn't a day that I wasn't wearing something stylish. My mom always loved the fact that as a baby I couldn't really say much about what she was putting on me so dressing up grew on me. In middle school I of course was a typical kid who didn't know what her style was. Yes, I loved fashion but I didn't know what kind (yes, there are many kinds). I thought wearing colored skinny jeans, converse and an oversized sweatshirt was considered cool but now I laugh about how stupid I looked.
Throughout high school I knew I wanted to go into art, whether it was fashion, photography, graphic design or anything else. I loved fashion all my life, and I had this feeling that thats what I wanted to study. So as junior year of high school rolled around I wanted to find schools with fashion or art degrees. Most schools with art that I became interested in was long far away or an art institute that I knew I was talented enough to get accepted to. When counselors asked me what I was looking for, they would treat going to school for art like something that would never be considered. I am from an artistic family, not fashion specifically but animation, drawing, film, and music. My cousins work in an animation studio in Hollywood, and I always thought it was awesome. I get told that going into fashion is very tough, but what isn't? I don't want to be a business woman... I hate persuading people to do things. I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to design fashion lines and go to fashion shows and talk to models. Art was always my life, I loved spending my free time taking self portraits, editing photos, graphic designing that was my way of self expression. I would spend hours doing a project instead of doing my homework. I was never able to socialize with many kids in my age group, I just wanted to do my artwork and be left alone. Artists are never considered to be in "real" careers because it's not allowed in society or something. Creating art isn't acceptable because.... you tell me.
As someone who just wants to be left alone and happy creating artwork, just stop. Stop telling us that our hope to be a successful artist is fictional, that it isn't real. Why do we have to be what everyone wants us to be. What is our mind doesn't want to shut up for a reason. What is being at FIT, RISD, or any other art institute lights up our world. or... what if we know we are different and were okay with that. Art is beauty and beauty is all around us. Art is what we find beautiful such as music. Art has a way that can make is think in ways words can't. Art is a way for one to self express with out verbal communication. Like how dancers communicate through the sound of music and moving around the floor.
