Why do I do art? That is something I have asked myself a lot lately. I’m not completely sure why. Probably because I’m not sure what I want to do with my art when I’m older. Maybe I do it for the excitement of finishing a painting or maybe it’s the positivity I get from others when it comes to my art. All I know is that I love doing it and I can’t wait to improve my skills over the years.

I began my art journey in the 4th grade. I liked to doodle on my knees in class so much that the teacher would have to take my markers away so I would pay attention to the lesson but that never stopped me. I walked around the playground with highlighter hearts, stars, smiley faces, and scribbles all over my knees. Eventually I started to doodle on my homework too. As I got older art became more and more a part of my daily life and once I began to pursue painting, around the age of 11, my creativity flourished! Especially during covid where I was producing paintings left and right.

With the painting I submitted for this event I wanted to put my love of flowers along with the mix of my personal life. I grew up a military child moving around every 1 to 4 years. Throughout each move I would have to make new friends and adjust to a new living environment. The dandelion flower is forced to do the same, floating around not knowing where its seeds will end up but adjusting to its surroundings only to survive. They say military children are like dandelions. They can put down roots almost anywhere, they are impossible to destroy, they adapt easily, and can survive nearly anywhere.