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Art is for everybody

As a high school senior, I’ve watched an interesting progression in the way my peers view art. Through elementary school, art was commonly listed as a favorite class. My classmates would lose themselves in construction paper masterpieces and Crayola creations. Now however, it’s all too common to hear my classmates declaring themselves to be incompetent in art. There’s a bizarre perception that one is either good or bad at art. Students seem to rule out the middle ground. To them, art is not — like everything else we learn — a skill to be practiced or improved upon. To them, artistic talent is something that you either poses or do not. They perceive themselves to be bad at art, then halt all artistic pursuits.

To me, this is a tragedy. Art is peaceful, meditative, creative, and the one thing that has grounded me through two years of high-level classes. Whether you’re a high schooler or a retiree, don’t give up on art just because you lack the skills that others have spent years developing. Pick up a pen, draw something you see, and embrace the peace that art can bring you.

Clare Mitchell



Aspen