How I got into art By Katherine Lightwood
How I got into Art
By Katherine Lightwood
Art...A quite fancy name for people like me. If things were 'right' I would have never chosen this thing to be my profession. But alas, life teaches us lessons in ways you'll never expect. So, yeah you can say I am something close to an artist (but not) the real one. By profession, I am a "Graphic Designer".
Born in a middle-class family to parents with the middle-class mentality I was always encouraged to get very very high grades and chose between the only two professions..."A Doctor or An Engineer". My parents were smart, they didn't ever say them out loud but their thoughts used to project in their every action. Well, that's not their fault, but it was a tough challenge to take for someone like me. Since childhood, I was a loner. My best friends were not people of the real world but rather fantasy animals and storybook characters. Everyone thought I am weird but unfortunately I couldn't change anything. I never tried to draw as it was completely forbidden in my home. So, I never gave it a second thought. Once I was in second grade I was scribbling something in the back of my notebook and my father shouted at me. Since then I've never touched it.
Some of my acquaintances call me a 'creative person', but I will strongly disagree. I didn't have any creative bone in my body. I was just waking up, struggling to live and went back to sleep. My days were mostly like this. With intense bullying since childhood and also in adulthood, my whole character got twisted, I was growing up as a shy, introvert, angry and a kid with an extremely low confidence level. I had frequent nervous breakdowns, panic attacks and I shivered profusely whenever some unknown person ever talks to me. So, naturally, my life was a strange mess... stranger and different than folks that were around me. Things got dark...well very dark after I graduated from college. My grandmother was diagnosed with Cancer and one of my closest relations started to break. And Oh boy... the pressure of Unemployment and the fear of the loss of loved one made me something that I can't even explain. As I was an introvert, so I kept the whole 'emotional blast' undercover. And that was the time I started to draw. The fear of rejection, abandonment, and uncertainty was something that was shaping my personality in ways I've never expected. I was becoming a lone wolf from an overly dependent lazy person. I started to understand life and little by little I started to expect less and less.
One of my relatives saw my sketches and convinced my father to get me into 'art and graphic designing'.It was a rough road and somehow I got into this. A year and a half passed, I drew things that I've imagined and made few things that made me a bit happy. But, I was lacking something. As if there is still a big hole in my heart that I needed to fill or I still have many walls to break to understand myself. Again I fall into a darkness and wanted to leave everything. But there was a strange twist of fate.
A new teacher came to our institute who changed my brain in ways I can't even understand. He is not only a teacher but a monk by heart, a leader, and a wizard. They say a teacher can only guide you but can't make you creative. And Oh that was so Wrong!!! My teacher made me an artist, writer, and a poet. Well!! not a very good one but he transformed a 'broken delusional kid' into a 'productive person'. He taught me to think beyond my box and break my walls which I made for myself and think fearlessly. As he himself is an artist, writer, and a great scholar, he too inspired me to do the same. He taught me to use my pain constructively without falling into the well of self-pity. He is the first one who showed faith in me and told me not to be ashamed of my fear. He gave me some amazing concept and I started drawing his imaginations. Little by little my skills started to develop. The concept like Mystic Flaming father and Brain Concept art was completely his imaginations. From a teacher, he became my only inspiration. Now, even if I am in a dark place I don't fear much because his teachings will always be with me and guide me like a beacon of light through the starless nights. His words will be my motivation to fight even in the darkest times and rise like a phoenix from the ashes (well that's a metaphor, but you might have got the point). So, that's how I got into art and that is my story.
Born in a middle-class family to parents with the middle-class mentality I was always encouraged to get very very high grades and chose between the only two professions..."A Doctor or An Engineer". My parents were smart, they didn't ever say them out loud but their thoughts used to project in their every action. Well, that's not their fault, but it was a tough challenge to take for someone like me. Since childhood, I was a loner. My best friends were not people of the real world but rather fantasy animals and storybook characters. Everyone thought I am weird but unfortunately I couldn't change anything. I never tried to draw as it was completely forbidden in my home. So, I never gave it a second thought. Once I was in second grade I was scribbling something in the back of my notebook and my father shouted at me. Since then I've never touched it.
Some of my acquaintances call me a 'creative person', but I will strongly disagree. I didn't have any creative bone in my body. I was just waking up, struggling to live and went back to sleep. My days were mostly like this. With intense bullying since childhood and also in adulthood, my whole character got twisted, I was growing up as a shy, introvert, angry and a kid with an extremely low confidence level. I had frequent nervous breakdowns, panic attacks and I shivered profusely whenever some unknown person ever talks to me. So, naturally, my life was a strange mess... stranger and different than folks that were around me. Things got dark...well very dark after I graduated from college. My grandmother was diagnosed with Cancer and one of my closest relations started to break. And Oh boy... the pressure of Unemployment and the fear of the loss of loved one made me something that I can't even explain. As I was an introvert, so I kept the whole 'emotional blast' undercover. And that was the time I started to draw. The fear of rejection, abandonment, and uncertainty was something that was shaping my personality in ways I've never expected. I was becoming a lone wolf from an overly dependent lazy person. I started to understand life and little by little I started to expect less and less.
One of my relatives saw my sketches and convinced my father to get me into 'art and graphic designing'.It was a rough road and somehow I got into this. A year and a half passed, I drew things that I've imagined and made few things that made me a bit happy. But, I was lacking something. As if there is still a big hole in my heart that I needed to fill or I still have many walls to break to understand myself. Again I fall into a darkness and wanted to leave everything. But there was a strange twist of fate.
A new teacher came to our institute who changed my brain in ways I can't even understand. He is not only a teacher but a monk by heart, a leader, and a wizard. They say a teacher can only guide you but can't make you creative. And Oh that was so Wrong!!! My teacher made me an artist, writer, and a poet. Well!! not a very good one but he transformed a 'broken delusional kid' into a 'productive person'. He taught me to think beyond my box and break my walls which I made for myself and think fearlessly. As he himself is an artist, writer, and a great scholar, he too inspired me to do the same. He taught me to use my pain constructively without falling into the well of self-pity. He is the first one who showed faith in me and told me not to be ashamed of my fear. He gave me some amazing concept and I started drawing his imaginations. Little by little my skills started to develop. The concept like Mystic Flaming father and Brain Concept art was completely his imaginations. From a teacher, he became my only inspiration. Now, even if I am in a dark place I don't fear much because his teachings will always be with me and guide me like a beacon of light through the starless nights. His words will be my motivation to fight even in the darkest times and rise like a phoenix from the ashes (well that's a metaphor, but you might have got the point). So, that's how I got into art and that is my story.
So, that was my thought of the day. To see more posts like this make sure to visit our main page. And Do not forget to visit our institute's page to know more about graphic design, 3D, animation courses and other awesome stuff. Till then good day to you.
Katherine Lightwood
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