I recently received an email from an art student who wanted to ask some questions about myself and my art, so I thought I’d share the answers here!

Why did you decide to become an artist?

I’ve always loved art, and it always came naturally to me.  I also have a lot of other interests as well, such as writing and questioning the nature of the universe and the meaning of life!   When I was a student in college, I took classes in all the subjects that interested me, such as Art, Writing, Philosophy and Religion.  As much as I loved studying all of these things, I came to the realization that I could only focus on one of them as a career!  I sort of “fell” into art after realizing that being an artist would allow me the freedom to pursue all the other subjects that interest me, by allowing me to pursue and express those interests and ideas in my art.  All in all, becoming a professional artist just felt natural. 

Why do you use the materials that you do?

I work in a variety of media, but the ones I use most are probably acrylics, ink and colored pencil.  I love acrylics because they are non-toxic and non-smelly, and I feel that they are a good medium for expressing the ideas that I want to express.  I like the bright, boldness of the colors.  I also like that acrylics are very forgiving, in the sense that if I make a mistake, I can easily paint over it.  I like ink and colored pencil because they are both very portable, so I can use them anywhere.  I like being able to do artwork outdoors, so it’s really easy to take some paper and pens or colored pencils and find a nice spot to sit down and make some art! 

Would you also help me understand why art is for me? And what art means to you on the whole?

I think people who gravitate towards art are generally people with big imaginations and sensitive souls.  We are all unique individuals with our own viewpoints, our own storylines, our own dreams, memories and aspirations.  All of these things are part of us, and artists are the people who try to bring these things out – giving voice to our inner visions.  Art is about sharing our unique perspectives on the things around us and inside us.  It’s a way of communicating.  The creative process is also very therapeutic and uplifting, and people can be subconsciously drawn to art for that reason.  Art allows a safe environment for searching inside oneself, spending time with oneself, and then sharing one’s findings with the world. 
 
I’ve also written a small section on What is art here on my new website: http://www.art-is-fun.com/about-the-site-art-is-fun.html.  It’s about halfway down the page.

Cheers!

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