LEAN INTO DIFFERENCE BY ANNA MARIE DEMOS

Growing up, I was always considered “artistically inclined.” In class, I was always asked to be the scribe, make the cover page, or sketch the blueprint. Even now, in a major where I am surrounded by many people who are considered “artistically inclined,” I am still the one who gets asked to do those things. Don’t get me wrong, I find joy in doing them.

But unlike my classmates, I don’t have the desire to doodle in my sketchbook for hours on end, or paint a self portrait in my free time. I find my passion in a different type of art: creativity, connection, and collaboration. These are the things that set  me on fire! My time so far as an art major has taught me a lot through this creativity struggle. Day after day, I am learning to silence my VOJ in the studio, and remind myself that it is okay that my creativity looks different than my classmates. I learn to lean into this difference and take bigger risks that will set me further apart. Most importantly, I learn to appreciate and empathize with all definitions of “art.”