On becoming an artist: part 1

My story.

I’ve been thinking about writing and sharing my story of becoming an Artist for a while now. I just didn’t know where to begin. What does it even mean, to become an Artist? Is it something we are born with? Something we work hard to achieve? Do we claim the title when our works are great? Or good enough? Or the mere fact that we are working at all. Is it a doing? Or is it a way of seeing, thinking, and being in the world?

I have many questions on the becoming of an artist, I don’t think it’s simple nor do I think it’s linear.

However, I will do my best to tell you my story of becoming, of claiming the title, of seeing the world and living my life as an artist.

Let’s start off by introducing little me.

I was a creative kid, like most of artists; spending my time making was my favorite thing to do. I didn’t have one specific interest, I created all kinds of things with all kinds of materials.

When I was about 8 or 9 I made a hula skirt and top by stapling together bits of paper.

Around the same age I received my first tool kit, it came with a saw, hammer, nails, screw driver, and an assortment of other things. I loved to build things with my tool kit, I actually made my grandmother a little stool, which I was so proud of!

I started drawing around this age as well. My sister was (is still) an excellent artist. I would watched her with curiosity and then, when no one was around, I would copy her drawings in my own sketchbook. She took art classes in middle school and high school, I remember when she came home with a self-portrait in charcoal and I fell in love. That portrait still hangs in our childhood home, and I love it just as much today as I did then.

There was another portrait that I loved as a child, it hung in my grandmothers house in the foyer. It was also a portrait of my oldest sister, but painted in pastel by another artist (I don’t know their name). She was a baby in this portrait, with a big smile and a Beautiful blue, collared dress. My mom said she’d give it to me some day, I really look forward to it! I would stare at this painting in awe, I stopped to look at it every time I went to my grandmas house, I studied it with intent, wondering how a human could create something so lovely.

I remember going to Yosemite National park one summer (a place we spent much of childhood exploring) with my mom and my sisters. My oldest sister wanted to visit the art store in the village and I tagged along, curious. We had some spending money and so I bought a small sketchbook and a pack of graphite pencils. We sat by the rivers edge and sketched the landscape together. I watched in amazement how my sister rendered her charcoal drawings and attempted to do the same. My drawings didn’t come out as good, but I didn’t give up. I laughed at how my tree looked like a lady wearing underwear, and then I flipped the page and tried again.

Over and over and over, I tried.

As I got older, I continued to draw, no longer using my sister’s artwork as a guide but instead drawing people, mostly family, using photographs as reference. I still have many of the sketchbooks I kept as a child! I’ll share some of my early drawings with you BELOW.

In highschool I took film photography and ceramics, but I spent most of my time in the art room with some of my closest friends. I am glad I took film and ceramics, I treasure those mediums and still use them to this day! Especially film, I actually take photos often and have even begun to share them publicly.

However, I would constantly find myself drawing with my artist friends, learning from them, and exploring ideas in my sketchbooks.

I would paint in my bedroom with acrylic after school. I would draw my siblings and the things around me. I would spend time with my friend, Kate, asking her questions about my work, which she would answer patiently and teach me the techniques she learned in school.

I was also very interested in other art forms, not just fine art and drawing, but music and writing as well. I played trumpet in elementary and middle school, and I always loved to write. I have many journals filled with stories, poetry, and my life (mostly boys haha) from the early age of 9.

Journalling, poetry, and writing in general continue to play a huge role in my life as an artist.

In high school I exhibited poetry and photography at a local art show. My friend Kate invited me to join her, and so together and with her mom’s help, I typed out my poetry and laminated it, selling them as bookmarks! Kate exhibited her beautiful drawings on old newspaper, I can still picture them clearly in my mind. She was and still is so incredibly talented! I invite you to visit her website to see her work for yourself.

My journey as an artist continued after high school, into college, but there were definitely bumps in the road…stay tuned for part 2.

Your friend,

Spencer