My least favorite thing in the world is writing about myself. I have been sitting on this task for a long time trying to figure out what information someone would want to know about me. I grew up in a smaller town in central Wisconsin. I was the smart, sporty, artsy kid in high school. I always shined in school, in the AP classes as well as my art classes. When I went to college I always thought I would do something related to art, but thought I would be doing it in a science field. I seriously looked into being a medical illustrator for awhile but couldn’t get over the ridgedness of the process.
In college I really fought the idea of being an artist. I always took art classes and loved them but couldn’t get out of the book aspect of school. I thought that I was wasting my brain. Even when I transferred to UW-Madison from U-Minnesota my sophomore year and I declared an art major, I couldn’t fully commit, I ended up graduation with a BS in art instead of a BFA. It’s difficult when you surround yourself with soon to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, and computer programmers to accept the life you’ve chosen, especially since I believed I could be one of them but I choose to follow my passion.
Another aspect about being an artist that I am slowly overcoming is the fact that I’m not sure how ‘good’ I am. I know it sounds strange, especially to anyone who knows me, because I’m usually a very confident person. The ability to paint, draw, and create is just something that I could always do. I have worked hard to become disciplined and push myself but the ability has always been there. It has also become easy for me to believe that my friends and family have to tell me they enjoy my work; that the professors I have had the pleasure of being in their classes are just being kind in their assessments of my work and the grades that I receive. I seem to search for someone to verify that my work is good enough. I guess I have just been scared that I would put myself out there, a huge part of who I am, and fail. With time I have learned to get over this although the occasional relapse of self-doubt still occurs.
Luckily, I have surrounded myself with wonderful people. People who not only believe in me but also have been able to critique my work and ideas, who helped me to set up this website, people who have pushed me to show my work, and have been my models and my inspiration. Through the help of my parents I was able to go to school for art with no pressures about what I would do with an art degree and to have the opportunity to study in Italy, which opened my eyes to the world. With this continual support I am moving onto the next part of my life. I’m trying to figure how to make a go of creating my artwork . This website is the beginning. I’m also working on getting a concise portfolio in order to set up some gallery shows where I live, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’m also thinking of doing some art festival next summer.
It seems that for some time I have been fighting the inevitable. I’m an artist. I can not get away from it and I no longer want to.