I was recently asked by an artist’s rep., “When did you know you were an artist?” It made me pause for a moment. This was a question I never really considered. I never considered the thought partially because no one ever asked, and mostly because I have always had art on the brain. But, if you think back, I am certain there is a time in your life when you consciously knew, or just relinquished yourself to being an artist. I would like to pose this question to you all, when did you know you were an artist?
My response:
This is a very good question. I never have known a time when drawing was not part of my consciousness. As my Dad always put it, the first thing I ever picked up was a pencil. Not sure how true that is, but my earliest memories have me sitting at the family kitchen table drawing all the cartoon characters I saw on TV. It didn’t hurt either that I got a tremendous amount of support from my family. Giving me marking devices and paper was a way to keep me entertained for hours, and also kept me from, as I used to put it, proclaiming “I am boring.” But, that really does not answer the question, “When did I know I was an artist?” I think the first time I realized that I was an artist was when I was in the 5th grade. I entered a school contest to create the school mascot. Long story short, I did not win the contest. I came in second place. But, the response that I got from my classmates, even kids I did not know, was overwhelming. From that moment on, I was “the artist” kid in my grade. Not much has changed; I am still the artist kid, just not in the fifth grade, more like the 35th grade.
When did you know?
April 8, 2009 by imaginemoore
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boring is never word i’d used to describe you. at least you can put down “artist” on that fake ID. just make sure to shave off the one eyebrow before they take the picture.
and i’ll take “35th grade” over repeating the 5th grade 30 times. actually….no…..i rather enjoyed the 5th grade now that i reflect back.
nevehmind. sorry to hijack yer blog post. carry on…..
Answering this question is going to improve my mood today significantly. Thanks for asking it.
I drew as a kid to alleviate boredom as well. I had an almost painful visual imagination and I longed to be a princess, wear big dresses, ride horses, and stroll through castle gardens. I took to drawing as a way to express those longing desires. I wrote stories about myself in fantastical situations and illustrate them. My mother was an artist and was pretty masterful at sketching. She would critique my artwork by saying things like “her arms are too short” or “not enough perspective here” or “there are only two legs on that table”. It used to infuriate me, but it would send me back to fix things in an attempt to impress her.
I too had a contest experience. Ironically it was for the American Lung association. In third grade I won the poster contest. I drew a frog chatting with a smoking princess on a lilipad saying, “if you smoke, I’ll croak!” We got a $100 gift certificate to a fancy French restaurant (a strange prize for a third grader), but I remember the jubilation when I ran home and told my mom the good news.
I remember watching a The Secret City with Captain Mark. http://www.urlesque.com/2009/01/13/the-secret-city-with-captain-mark-kistler-is-online/
He taught perspective, foreshortening, shading, and other principals while drawing moon craters and alien creatures. I was an avid viewer.
I think the moment when I really knew was in fourth grade, when I drew these two characters on my notebook of punk rockers. One of the kids saw it and asked me to make one for him. When I looked up to give it to him, there was a crowd gathered and a line was forming. I think I made one for each of the 25 kids in my class, signed and everything.
I still draw on request and to impress my mother.