Aanshi Shah Week #15 - Art and Hard Work
I really like to draw, but I have zero natural talent for it. I have the ugliest handwriting out of everyone I’ve seen, and all my friends tell me I write like a middle school boy. Recently, I noticed that my sister has better handwriting than me, and she’s nine.
Drawing first came to my attention when I was either in kindergarten or first grade. We had art kids in our class, and I was not one of them. Sometimes, my whole group and I would sit down and draw, and my drawings were always the worst ones. I wanted to draw nicely, even though I had no affinity for it. For a while, I was sad because I just couldn’t draw. Then, I began putting effort into drawing. Every time we would draw as a group, I would take it seriously and stay laser focused on my art while everyone else was goofing off. I was still terrible for a long time even after I started trying, but this motivated me to try even harder. Finally, my effort paid off, and I made my first “good” drawing, an orange cat with a pink tutu. I showed my friends, and instead of laughing at my art like they usually did, they complimented me and told me that this is my first good drawing.
Soon after, I became an art kid, although never as good as the other, natural talents of my class. Still, I learned that hard work pays off, and that I can do anything if I want to. In middle school, I changed art styles to match what most other people were doing at the time, and it was like starting from square one again. I absolutely sucked, but because of all the practice I did, I became good at that style. Then, I branched off from that style into semi-realism, and because of my previous skill, I thankfully learned that pretty quickly. Doing art has taught me that there are a lot of things I have to put in effort to learn. 
Hello Aanshi! I enjoyed reading your blog post this week and how it shows your diligence in achieving something you enjoy. I am also terrible at art, but I never put in that much time to get better at drawing. Due to me taking an animation course this year though, I had to learn how to draw at least somewhat. I wish I could claim I have the work ethic you have to try to learn how to draw, as I tend to give up on ever being good at drawing, instead sticking to subjects I am naturally good at. Still, I like how you demonstrated that even though you don’t have a natural talent for art, you can nonetheless learn to be good at it. I look forward to reading your final blog post!
ReplyDeleteHi Aanshi! Thanks for sharing this personal story about your passion for drawing! I have to assure you that your handwriting is probably not as bad as you think. I worked with some elementary school kids in a writing tutoring program, and let me tell you, looking at the scribbles on their pages felt like I was a scientist trying to decode hieroglyphics for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI’m really glad you shared your story of both success and struggle in learning art. That message resonates so much, not just in art but in life in general, where hard work can overcome talent. I’d love to see some of your early works as well as your more recent ones!
What inspired you to start drawing in the first place?
Hi Aanshi! I admire your determination to perfect your artistic skills! Personally, I am not a good artist since the only drawings I can create are stick figures and they are still bad. I can relate to you though because when I was in fifth grade, making lanyards was very popular. Every recess, my friends and I would borrow two to three lanyard strings and we would braid them constantly; however, I was definitely not the best braider of all time. I honestly felt as if my friends thought I was quiet annoying because I would always make them help me braid the lanyard as I never knew how to aesthetically do it. The more and more I observed how they did it, I was able to try again and again, and I soon became one of the best and fastest braiders out of my whole friend group as I made three lanyard chains in twenty minutes, which for sure took a lot of focus and arm strength. I am glad that you realized how setting your mind toward a goal, whether it is drawing or painting, you can achieve it if you have enough motivation.
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