The Making of an Artist

For as long as I can remember I have dabbled in the world of art.  I was never one who "drew inside the lines."  My mother told me that when I learned to write on grid paper, my letters would be various shapes and sizes, and when she asked me what the grid was for, I simply replied that it was for "decoration."

Coloring outside of the lines...

My kindergarten teacher was worried that I had a learning disability because while all the other children drew portraits with necks, my human portraits had neither necks nor ears.  What my teacher didn't realize was that I didn't draw necks on my portraits, not because I failed to notice them, but because I didn't like the way they came out when drawn.  And ears... those were even more difficult to get to look even!

Me showing off my Gumby skills as a toddler.

More confusing still may have been the fact that although I was ambidextrous, I definitely had preferences in terms of which hand I did what with.  In fact, for years I was convinced that I could only draw with my left hand until one day a friend pointed out to me that I had drawn half of a doodle with my right hand before finishing it off with my left (This was in high school!).

A further demonstration of child Gumby-ness.

Throughout elementary school I would use pens and pencils to carve my erasers into stamps, using markers as stamp pads.  I would always be doodling away in school, trying to perfect the drawing of a perfect star (which has yet to happen...).

I started a jewelry making club in high school and was a member of the school's dance choreography team.  In college I took a Makeup for the Motion pictures class, and when it came time to decide on what to do after college, I was thoroughly torn between trying my hand at fashion design or attending law school.

Yes, I really went out like this for fun with friends one night.

Ultimately, I chose law school because I figured I would never want to go back to school after trying fashion and that art could always wait.  However, throughout graduate school I continued to dabble in both cooking and artistic endeavors.  I would often spend a few hours a night making various trinkets and would often cook elaborate meals for large groups of friends.

My first ever attempt at more elaborate clay creation - a wedding topper for a friend.

Post graduation, I practiced law for a number of years, but always in the back of my mind, I always wanted to give a real go at pursuing my artistic endeavors.  And so, now in Boston, I find myself in a new environment, giving myself time to cultivate, discover and find the artist inside.

Whew!  Graduation day!

Wish me luck!

XoXo,

Joyce