Growing up, I did art because it was what I was good at, not because I really had much of a passion for it. I struggled with coming up with ideas and creating my own style. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I really started to enjoy art, and create for myself. In 2018 I took AP art for the first time, and that was the first opportunity I had to really think for myself. In the past, I was told what to draw by my teachers and that stunted my growth as an artist. Once I was able to express myself and come up with my own ideas for my art, my passion for the subject and my style developed naturally. Now, in 2020, I am confident in my abilities as an artist and I feel like I can successfully translate my thoughts into my work.

The concentration for my art this school year is the impact technology has on the mental health and development of younger generations (mostly Generation Z). I chose this as my concentration because as a teenager who has grown up with completely unmonitored internet access, I can confidently say that the internet has shaped me into the person I am today, for better or for worse. I also feel that this topic gives me an opportunity to address subjects that are ignored or considered controversial, such as predatory behaviors online or the impact unrestricted technology has on developing children. I’ve always used darker colors and leaned towards creepier subject matter, so this year I worked on developing that style further. I’ve continued to use dark colors, but with my recent work I’ve been cutting the dark tones with neon colors. This year I’ve pushed my personal boundaries and formed a definitive art style, one where I combine graphic design and realism in a way that is unique to me.