The Greatest Experience That I Got

I could honestly say after this semester, I appreciate art a lot more. My entire life, I never really liked art because I never thought I was good at it. I think this is largely because I would compare my work to the work of others around me and I would leave art class feeling bad about myself. I know that: comparing myself to others is not healthy. The fact of the matter is, I am going to excel in some areas while I am average and even below average in other areas. Just because I am not the best in the area of art, it doesn’t mean I cannot appreciate it. I really liked it when I got the same grade on the art assignments even when I feel like I did a horrible job.

One thing that I particularly enjoyed was learning about famous artists and the lifestyles they came from. Vincent van Gogh had a particularly tragic story. I learned about him while writing my art evaluation and in my experience learning about the artist behind the painting made it more personal. Vincent van Gogh’s artwork went from being just a lousy piece of expensive scribbles to something that actually has meaning, even in my life. Vincent van Gogh actually struggled with mental and physical illnesses; and as a behavioral health student learning about this interested me. I can relate to Vincent van Gogh because he struggled with abusing substances and using them to cope.

I enjoyed working on: the symmetrical balance piece, watercolor, graphic design, floor plan and art history timeline. It particularly liked the symmetrical balance piece because although I heard the word symmetrical and asymmetrical I never really knew what the words meant. Now, because of Art Appreciate I will never forget what the words meant. I was also able to learn about balance and contrast (which can also make a piece balanced). I find satisfaction in learning and being able to talk about something and sound like I know what I am talking about. One day while some friends and I were walking through KPC and we stopped to look at a piece of artwork. I asked my friend what they thought about the particular piece we were viewing. After they responded, I responded with some of the new words I learned from art and I kind of sounded like an expert. It was funny because I think I misused some of the words but the looks on her face was priceless.

The only project that I can see being useful in the future is the logo- graphic design project. One of my goals is to start a non-profit that focuses on connecting people (natives, homeless, alcoholics, addicts) with resources that can aid them in the process of getting out of the hole they dug for themselves. I also want to incorporate my faith and intercession in the process because I know that God can do so much for us that we cannot do for ourselves. Originally, I wanted to call it “resiliency services” but I think LightPost might be better. Maybe I can even use my flashlight/eye-drop/perfume holder as a way to advertise, I joke.

I want to include in this reflections ways I could have done better. I honestly think that if I actually showed up to class it would have benefited me greatly. Just like a wise man once said (Jeff), “why pay for the movie if you are not going to show up.” This semester has been tough because of my choices and I making it harder on myself. With that being said, I could have spent more time and put more effort into some of the projects that I completed. I was doing the bare minimum.