When I was 6 years old, I realized I wanted to be an artist. However, it wasn’t until I was 12 that I increasingly started taking art seriously and practicing as often as I could. I drew every single day, whether it be doodles in the margins of my class assignments, or on printer paper I frequently made my mom buy. I sent my rudimentary art to my favorite artists online asking for advice. Most did not reply, but some told me I had a ways to go but showed promise. I will always be thankful for their encouragement. When I think back on the art I have made, one painting stands out in particular as a breakthrough. In 7th grade, I painted two red apples resting on a blue background with tiny houses and people settled atop the fruit. I had come to school early for weeks to work on it and stayed frequently after school. I painted layer after layer with acrylic paint, perfecting every detail. After almost two months, I was finally pleased with the end product and actually felt like I had achieved becoming a true artist rather than just a kid who liked art. When I am struggling with an art piece now, I think back on the love I felt for art at that moment. Now, I am attending university to achieve my dream and further my skills. I have just moved in this week and start classes tomorrow. I am ecstatic to study under my talented professors and have already applied to join the Student Art League where each Friday I will participate in their nude figure drawings and study human anatomy. This is something I have always aspired to do and am so thankful for the opportunity to draw from life. I also plan on taking every trip that I can with the Student Art League, such as an expedition to an artist residency program I hope to participate in where I will spend a week living and creating in a large studio space with other artists who are just as passionate as I am. Learning from my peers is one of the main reasons I decided to attend college in the first place. I love to witness others create just as much as I love to do it myself. I want to discuss our processes together and find out what inspires them, and what drives them to do what they do. In ten years, I hope to see my art in galleries. I dream of taking trips to foreign countries to paint en plein air, or outdoors from life. I want to sell my pieces to both lavish collectors and everyday people who happen to love what I create. My belief is that art should be accessible to everyone, and as a reflection of this, I hope to price my work in a way that is affordable for anyone. I also hope to have my own studio with grand windows so that anyone passing by can watch my process as they please and hope to inspire others like many great artists have done for me. I want to inspire change with my pieces and discuss social issues with my work. I do not want to only paint conventionally attractive artworks but also make things that may be difficult to look at and understand. I have no idea what the work I will be creating in ten years will look like, but I am endlessly excited to find out.

Growing up in Wyoming, the outdoors around me was always stunningly beautiful, but it took me until I was 18 to try plein air painting for the first time. I ventured up Casper Mountain with a backpack bulging with all of my supplies and sat down on gravel to paint the mountain runoff. I sat in the grueling heat for hours and was bitten by countless bugs, but eventually finished what I still consider to be my favorite piece to this day. I now live in beautiful Laramie, Wyoming, known to many as "Laradise" for its' wonderful scenery. Surrounded by mountains and a sunny blue sky, I have never felt more inspired to create.