Begin

Mandatory, maybe kinda boring, background story of how my art journey begun.

Ever since I was young I have always enjoyed doing art. Drawing, painting, any sort of arts & crafts… I had files filled with drawings of cartoon characters, my favourite TV show was Art Attack, and I was forever drawing on my textbooks and school desks. My dad recently asked me, ‘when did my daughter become an artist, a painter?’. I replied, ‘don’t know’. In which he responded, ‘isn’t it since young?’.

After I graduated from secondary school, I completed stopped doing any kinds of art apart from drawing on my lecture slides. Until a couple of years back, I read ‘A Return To Love’ by Marianna Williamson.

“I think the reason people don’t have hobbies today as much as they did in the past generations, is because we can’t bear to do anything we’re not fabulous at”. – Marianna Williamson.

Bro this quote hit me, HARD.

I literally can’t find this quote anywhere on the internet so I guess it didn’t impact anyone else as much as it did to me. I posted it on my IG story back in 2019, so that was when I started art again.

Throughout this period, I tried watercolour painting, drawing with pencil and acrylic painting… Everyone only saw the artwork I posted online, but nobody knew that I struggled a lot with all my artwork and was only really happy with a few (those that I posted basically). That made me feel more and more demoralized and soon, I refuse to spend time doing it as I felt that it’s not certain that I will end up liking what I create.

So yea I basically forgotten all about that quote that got me started in the first place. Lol.

Towards the end of 2021, my department came up with a talent show. But apparently, nobody is talented. Lmao. Or rather, nobody thought they were talented, or… Talented enough.

At this point it’s like the universe was sending me a message. I was watching China’s Got Talent one weekend and it made me realize:

“Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you’re willing to practice you can do.” – Bob Ross

That was when I stopped comparing myself to artists who have been putting in the effort and time to practice art.

That was when I started putting in the effort and time to practice art more frequently.

That was when I started finding joy in failures.

That was when I started seeing progress.

That was when I felt like yes, this is it. This is the beginning of my art journey.