Personal History of Art Education
Creativity is my breath. It is my fuel, my life force, and my language. It is my identity, my savior, and my drive. My personal history with art started before the birth of memory. I have heard stories from family members about that certain picture I painted at age 3 or that paper costume I crafted at age 5, but my earliest memories about art aren’t moments, they are feelings. I remember how at home I felt drawing or painting, how I could make sense of the world around me just by creating. The powerlessness I felt as a child melted away in any creative space, there I could be the master of my own story and be in control of what I put on paper. Art filled me up and gave me the tools I needed to grow.
My early school career was full of challenges, both socially and academically I struggled to fit the mold. I found sanctuary in the art room and a kindred spirit in its inhabitants. Notebooks from my poorer subjects like math and science would be filled to the spine with doodles and cartoon drawings. Like a magnet, I was pulled towards any and all creative extracurriculars and would jump at the chance to volunteer my time for any out of school art project. I joined the Girl Scouts and made it a goal to earn any and all craft centered badges. Our school theatre became my second home and when I wasn’t acting I could be found mending costumes or painting sets. Behind every activity and art opportunity, my parents were the force that lifted me towards fulfilling my life in the arts. Though their backgrounds were far from creative, my family always had found it important to allow art in their lives. As a fan of musical theatre, my mother took me to both the local theatre productions and the larger touring shows. There I found an appreciation for the collaborative arts and the realization that when many hands come together something great can form. The beauty of the sets, the detail in the costumes, and the overall theatre culture entranced me. My father had an eye for photography and woodworking. Through him, I saw the satisfaction of labored work, how patience lends itself to creativity, and how using film is the only way to truly learn the art of photography. With his old 35mm camera in hand, I would capture my world, discover the power of light and value the importance of composition.
In high school, I continued to lean heavily on my love of the arts. Creativity was my tool to navigate the social and emotional rollercoaster of the age. In my senior year, I was able to fill my schedule with several AP art classes and quickly felt connected with my teachers. Their passion, sensitivity, knowledge, and leadership created a class experience I hadn’t been exposed to in my other courses. As students, we explored technical drawing, jewelry making, pottery, collage, web design, photography, and painting. These extraordinary women helped guide my sails toward a broader world of art education and shown the light on my dream of turning my love of art into a career. When the time came to apply for colleges my list filled up with the top art colleges in the country and at the forefront of that list with the Savannah College of Art and Design. SCAD had come recruiting in my AP art classes and I was instantly won over with their variety of majors and the beauty of Savannah. Though far away from my Ohio home, Savannah seemed to call to me with its rich history and romantic Spanish moss canopies. The college itself was spread throughout the city, inhabiting old historic buildings and furnished with the best equipment. My high school AP art teachers guided me through the application process, helped critique my portfolio and continued to cheer from the sidelines even after I received my acceptance letters. I realize now decades later how important the role of these high school educators has been in my story, not just as influential role models but raw proof of the power an educator can have on a students path to success.
SCAD presented an entirely new world of art techniques and forms to me. I wanted to experience everything. With each new class I took I became immersed in the possibility of different creative career paths, but the more I learned the more I became conflicted about which major to choose. I entered into the university a declared animation major only to change the next year to film and again my junior year to production design. I found myself swept up in the glamor of the film industry and the lifestyle it advertised. At the end of my college career I had formed a community of artists that became both creative partners and dear friends. My peers pushed me harder creatively than any professor or academic advisor had done. These talented individuals embodied everything I believed an artist should be and I continued to create in their company even after graduation.
With my bachelors degree in production design, I sought to continue my education further in Toronto, Canada at Complections International, a special effects makeup school. On film sets my position as one of the only females, by circumstance, had pushed me to play the on-set makeup artist. I soon fell in love with creating a character and having a close relationship with the actresses and actors on set. My mothers love for the theatre had passed on and I dreamt of joining the creative community that was the theatre and film industry. I spent nearly a year in Toronto studying the art of makeup design, paying close attention to prosthetics and theatre makeup. My instructors were professionals in the industry and their experience shown through their teaching. Their passion for their work and knowledge of on-set etiquette went above and beyond just the skills they were instilling in us. After graduating I dove headfirst into the film industry and followed my community of artists to the west coast. I found makeup artist and costume designer positions on small productions but as I traveled something started to change in me. The adventurous passion I once had for a life in film seemed to evaporate and I was left yearning for a simpler life, for family, and for home. I said goodbye to the career I thought I had so badly wanted and traveled back to the place that felt could hold the next chapter of my story, Savannah, Georgia.
Upon returning to Savannah, I found a job in retail and began desperately trying to rediscover where I wanted my passion for art to take me. I took over management in a small business vintage store and found inspiration in the detail of the clothing and the story that each piece told. In aiding my uncertainty about my career path, I started a vintage fashion blog. To set myself apart from the other bloggers, I began illustrating my fashion posts and received a strong response to my drawings from my newfound online community. Their feedback fueled my idea to start a handmade product line business with my illustrations at the center. The voices of my college professors started to rise up and I remembered drawing and design techniques from my early years at SCAD. My exposure to so many art forms early in my history with art education gave me the tools I needed to change creative careers and create a path of my own. My newly formed company, Strawberry Moth, showcased my illustrations on paper goods. With the rise of online selling platforms like Etsy, I was able to create a customer base and ship products all around the world. Through those first few years, my peers became my teachers. Other handmade businesses and artists shared their knowledge and offered their advice. My love of learning aided me in my growth. Over time my product line grew. By working under a local screen printer, I learned about the screen-printing process and was able to take my illustration work a step further. I began producing kids t-shirts, printed totes, pennant flags, and large prints. As my business flourished, I was contacted by young artists, podcasters, and local schools with questions on how to run a successful small handmade business. Though I will never stop being a student of the arts, that is the moment when I became a teacher.
After being given a platform, I began to share my story with others and show them what I had learned through my journey in art education. My enthusiasm for learning became theirs, a fire that spreads from teacher to student and paves the way for knowledge. As I spoke in front of art students of all ages, I could see mirrored in myself the passion that was supported by my family, the drive to learn that was put there by my past instructors, and the energy that was ignited by the community of artists I had created. Art is so many things to me, it is a journey of self-discovery and the language that binds us all together. My path in art education is far from over and the true dream that I have found through my story is the connection we all share by both teaching others and devoting our life to a life of learning.