I was three years old when I knew what I wanted to do with my life. My father was an artist - actually, he was a lawyer, but I thought he was an artist when I was little because he was good at drawing & would sometimes paint in his free time. So when adults would ask younger-me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I told them I was going to be an artist, like my father. & I stuck with that response.
Luckily for three-year-old me, "art" has a fairly broad definition. Over the years "art" has turned into words like "build" or "craft." It was when I was ten that I remember beginning to craft. My parents had bought me a pink & white dollhouse - it was lovely, large, & unfinished. No furniture, no wallpaper, no dolls, no-nothing. My parents must've known I was crafty, as they told me to fill the dollhouse with things I'd made. Over time & with lots of cardboard, fabric, glue & foam, the dollhouse filled. Every little thing inside was made by my own two hands. I made a house, I made a home. I think it was that first major craft endeavor that lead me to believe I could make anything.
It's funny how childhood ideals travel into adulthood. I still say I want to be an artist, & I still think I can make anything. Granted, the harsh sting of reality has tainted these mantras a bit. I know I'll never be a Rembrandt or a Monet, & I know I can't build a CPU from scratch. But it's the essence that carries. I received my BFA in Studio Art this past Christmas, & I continue to make whatever I need. It's not exactly what three-year-old me had planned, but it's close enough that I'm not letting my little self down.
Is there anything that you've known since you were little? Or any ideas that you've held onto since childhood?
xoxo,
-m.e.
Related // Rainy day doodles.
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