One of my favorite hobbies is drawing and painting. When I was a kid, I remember every Christmas a fresh box of crayons or markers were always the most exciting gift for me. Every day, I would sit at this tiny, bright yellow plastic desk and use up about 50 pieces of paper, creating all kinds of different things. My parents would hang up these ‘abstract’ artworks on the fridge and around the house, while I explained to them what they meant or what they were supposed to be. As I got older, I grew out of my drawing and coloring phase and passed it off as a hobby that most kids had at one time or another.
When COVID hit, I took it upon myself to rewatch a lot of the movies I loved as a kid. One of those movies being, My Neighbor Totoro. I became completely obsessed with the way this movie looked. I immediately started watching every Studio Ghibli film and looked into Hayao Miyazaki as an artist. His art style is the perfect balance of realism and escapism. The characters are whimsical and theatrical, while the landscapes are rooted in real places in rural Japan and European cities. Consuming this art felt so inspiring; it’s so perfect that I almost felt a sense of jealousy when looking at his creations. How did he find such a flawless niche? I didn’t know the answer to this question, but I decided that I wanted to try to find my own.
Since I made this revelation during quarantine, this gave me more than enough time to practice. During every online class, I remember sketching instead of taking notes; I bought books on anatomy, perspective, and other artists I admired, hoping to learn anything I could about creating. I started to notice all this work I was doing felt effortless; I was never someone who loved to learn. I didn’t care for many of the subjects in school and always felt readings or assignments were just one of those things I had to get done in order to go on with my day. It felt great to be genuinely enthusiastic about a topic. I continued this hobby far into high school, later taking classes like AP Art History and AP Art, where I got to create a portfolio of my own. I had my art displayed in galleries for my school, and my portfolio later got me a scholarship for college and into a graphic design program that I later attended.
Even though I find myself busier these days, I still try to find time whenever I can to take an hour or two to sketch or paint. One thing I learned through this hobby is that it is beyond important to find something that you are passionate about. This activity that I decided I was going to start out of boredom one day six years ago has, in the least dramatic way possible, completely changed the trajectory of my life. Having something that you only do for yourself because you want to, not because you have to, shows you things about yourself that only you can discover. This prompts me to share one of my favorite quotes by Chuck Klosterman: “Art and love are the same thing because both represent the process of seeing yourself in the things that are not you.” The reflection that comes with having a passion like this all to yourself lets you recognize the inner workings of who you are, allowing for better connections and understanding of your identity. It’s not about finding your niche or becoming the best; it’s just about doing things that make you feel like you.
Reference: Klosterman, C. (2005). Killing yourself to live: 85% of a true story. Scribner.
An article that I related to: How Studio Ghibli Has Inspired a New Generation of Artists
My Portfolio: https://madelyneverett.art/
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