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Description
October, 2015. I was lounging around having watched football all day, as well as a Bob Ross marathon. I turned the TV off and decided that I wanted to go do something else. But what to do? Bob Ross’ “happy little trees” became the inspiration for me to pick up an iPad and find an art program.

I found a program called Sketches and whisked away to one of my favorite coffee shops. And it was there that I started doodling. I thought to myself..”this is a lot of fun!” I was doing something creative. I was putting my left-brain to good use. I was not watching TV and wasting my life away.

Growing up as a kid I loved to paint and draw but I never had any formal training. So what? Who cares if I could not draw objects and so what if everything looked like a mess? One night of drawing turned into another, and another, and another. I had found a hobby, a diversion and I loved every minute of it!! During that one October month I “finished” 13 pieces of “art”

As the months passed I became more inspired to learn everything that I could. I looked up tutorials on YouTube and painted along with Bob Ross and others. The quality of my work was still mediocre, and that was on my best day. Eventually I found my way onto Deviant Art and it was there that I joined a small community of amateur artists who inspired me to keep going.

I founded my own space on DA and soon I was gaining a small following of people who actually liked the stuff I was putting out. Likes turned into features on small pages, and then in March of 2017, I sold my very first piece of art. I was validation for me. I had spent a ton of time with my hobby and now I was actually getting paid for it?? No...the money wasn’t validation. I was never planning on doing art professionally. But what was validated for me was a sense that I truly found something that I loved to do.

Then out of the blue, I gained a follower by the name of Leonid Afremov. Are you freaking kidding me? One of the greatest painters of the last 40 years found my stuff and was now following me? Heck he even featured one of my pieces in his professional gallery. I didn’t sell anything or make any royalties off of it, but who cares?? Just the fact that someone believed in this amateur who cannot even draw a stick figure was enough.
It was enough to fuel me to continue doing what I loved.

Five years later, I still cannot draw objects or people to save my life. But I’ve gained a lot of experience, I’ve had a ton of fun, and most importantly, I’ve found something that I will likely continue to do for the rest of my life.

The moral of the story is this. I believe that everyone should tap into their creative potential. Whether it’s painting, music, theatre, dance, or any other form of creative expression. Find something you love to do and stick with it. It doesn’t matter how good you are at it as long as you enjoy doing it. I promise you it will change your life and the way that you look at the world.

I would like to thank everyone in the DA community for supporting me through the years. I have grown tremendously as an artist and I will strive to continue to grow.

Description
October, 2015. I was lounging around having watched football all day, as well as a Bob Ross marathon. I turned the TV off and decided that I wanted to go do something else. But what to do? Bob Ross’ “happy little trees” became the inspiration for me to pick up an iPad and find an art program.

I found a program called Sketches and whisked away to one of my favorite coffee shops. And it was there that I started doodling. I thought to myself..”this is a lot of fun!” I was doing something creative. I was putting my left-brain to good use. I was not watching TV and wasting my life away.

Growing up as a kid I loved to paint and draw but I never had any formal training. So what? Who cares if I could not draw objects and so what if everything looked like a mess? One night of drawing turned into another, and another, and another. I had found a hobby, a diversion and I loved every minute of it!! During that one October month I “finished” 13 pieces of “art”

As the months passed I became more inspired to learn everything that I could. I looked up tutorials on YouTube and painted along with Bob Ross and others. The quality of my work was still mediocre, and that was on my best day. Eventually I found my way onto Deviant Art and it was there that I joined a small community of amateur artists who inspired me to keep going.

I founded my own space on DA and soon I was gaining a small following of people who actually liked the stuff I was putting out. Likes turned into features on small pages, and then in March of 2017, I sold my very first piece of art. I was validation for me. I had spent a ton of time with my hobby and now I was actually getting paid for it?? No...the money wasn’t validation. I was never planning on doing art professionally. But what was validated for me was a sense that I truly found something that I loved to do.

Then out of the blue, I gained a follower by the name of Leonid Afremov. Are you freaking kidding me? One of the greatest painters of the last 40 years found my stuff and was now following me? Heck he even featured one of my pieces in his professional gallery. I didn’t sell anything or make any royalties off of it, but who cares?? Just the fact that someone believed in this amateur who cannot even draw a stick figure was enough.
It was enough to fuel me to continue doing what I loved.

Five years later, I still cannot draw objects or people to save my life. But I’ve gained a lot of experience, I’ve had a ton of fun, and most importantly, I’ve found something that I will likely continue to do for the rest of my life.

The moral of the story is this. I believe that everyone should tap into their creative potential. Whether it’s painting, music, theatre, dance, or any other form of creative expression. Find something you love to do and stick with it. It doesn’t matter how good you are at it as long as you enjoy doing it. I promise you it will change your life and the way that you look at the world.

I would like to thank everyone in the DA community for supporting me through the years. I have grown tremendously as an artist and I will strive to continue to grow.