Art is a positive sanctuary for me, like a therapeutic outlet not needing to be spoken, only told in an illustrated experience.  I’ve grown up with a talent gifted by god to create art, but a deeply-rooted timidness to pursue it as a career. When I was a kid, I was always told to follow my dreams, and to reach for the stars. However, as I got older, that phrase diminished to warnings of “art is a dying field,” or that “art means nothing anymore.”It became extremely hard to accept creative growth as a good thing. However, deep down, I knew i’ve devoted too much of my lifetime to art that it’s become the only thing I could see myself excelling at enough to build a career. Part of me felt ashamed for admitting that, but the majority of me began to understand what a gift it is to have a talent to share with the world. Eventually, expected remarks like that no longer surprised, nor offended me, but it hits harder when hearing my aspirations of applying to Maryland Institute College of Art laughed at by another fellow artist. It’s a special kind of belittling pain. Nevertheless, I was still choosing this innovative path with pride, instead of walking through the shame others expected to see. In moments of doubt, I’ve told myself to continue on and remain completely devoted to my artistic practice. I wish to spread my wings, and protect the value of art in my own way! At a young age, I learned to mix artistic ideas with "outside of the box" approaches. Coming from a low-income household, with two siblings and a widowed mother, I tried my hardest to not be a financial burden. Therefore, I adapted to the limitations of traditional art supplies, and looked beyond to deal with the unfair financial hand I was dealt. It was fascinating to discover ways in which I could utilize and turn random, everyday objects into pieces of work. This idea allowed me to see more value in the artworks themselves, rather than resource-based validation. For me, it opened realms of possibilities as an artist who didn’t have basic art necessities in my obtainment.  As a result, I make it a routine habit to share with newer, less-experienced artists that you don’t need to follow traditional expectations of the common artist, or artwork for that matter. In doing so, I truly hope individuals in similar situations see the significance their art can carry, and offer to the world as well. Furthermore, I’ve chosen to bring creativity to my hometown’s community by offering voluntary face-painting services to local elementary, middle, and high schools that are lacking in support for events they host. Being able to observe each kids excitement at seeing a cute painted cartoon on their face is a fulfilling reward. I believe it is important to emphasize variations of art, no matter the medium, to show younger generations to what makes them, and the world, so beautiful and full of life. Speaking with the deeper eyes of the little girl inside, I only wish to repay the world what it has bestowed upon me, an admiration and a deep heart for art. It’s enjoyable to transcend past surfaces, and understand individuals through creativity. As of now, it’s my plan to continue my art journey at MICA art school, and work towards the goal of being a concept artist. It’s been the biggest dream of mine to be apart of the foundation to one of the biggest animation films ever!

I’ve grown up with a talent gifted by god to create art, but a deeply-rooted timidness to pursue it as a career. When I was a kid, I was always told to follow my dreams, and to reach for the stars. However, as I got older, that phrase diminished to warnings of “art is a dying field,” or that “art means nothing anymore.” This became this reason it was extremely hard to accept creative growth as a good thing. However, deep down, I knew I’d devoted too much of my lifetime to art that it had become the only thing I could see myself excelling at enough to build a worthwhile career. Part of me felt ashamed for admitting that, but majority of me started to feel proud I even had a talent to share with the world. Eventually, expected remarks like that no longer surprised, nor offended me, but it hit harder when hearing my aspirations of applying to Maryland Institute College of Art laughed at by another fellow artist. It was a special kind of belittling pain. Nevertheless, I was still choosing this path with pride, instead of walking through the shame others expected to see. I’d continue on and remain completely devoted to my artistic practice! I wanted to spread my wings, and protect the value of art in my own way. Specifically, I strive to mix artistic ideas with "outside of the box" approaches. Coming from a low-income household, with two siblings and a widowed mother, I tried my hardest to not be a financial burden. Therefore, I adapted to the limitations of traditional art supplies, and looked beyond to deal with the unfair financial hand I was dealt. It was fascinating to discover ways in which I could utilize and turn random, everyday objects into pieces of work. This idea allowed me to see more value in the artworks themselves, rather than resource-based validation. For me, it opened realms of possibilities as an artist who didn’t have basic art necessities in my obtainment.  As a result, I make it a routine habit to share with newer, less-experienced artists that you don’t need to follow traditional expectations of the common artist, or artwork for that matter. In doing so, I truly hope individuals in similar situations see the significance their art can carry, and offer to the world as well. Furthermore, I love giving back to my hometown’s community by offering voluntary face-painting services to local elementary, middle, and high schools that are lacking in support for events they host. Being able to observe each kids excitement at seeing a cute painted cartoon on their face is a fulfilling reward. I believe it is important to emphasize variations of art to younger generations to showcase what makes them, and the world, so beautiful and full of life. Speaking with deeper eyes of the little girl inside, I only wish to repay the world what it has bestowed upon me, an admiration and a deep heart for art. It’s enjoyable to transcend past surfaces, and understand individuals through creativity. As of now, it’s my plan to continue my art journey at MICA art school, and work towards the goal of being a concept artist. It’s been the biggest dream of mine to be apart of the foundation to one of the biggest animation films ever!

Speaking with deeper eyes of the little girl inside, I only wish to repay the world what it has bestowed upon me, an admiration and a deep heart for art. It’s fulfilling to transcend past surfaces, and understand individuals through their creativity. Being an artist, it’s been hard to accept creative growth when all I’ve heard is constant, minimizing warnings of “art is a dying field,” or “art means nothing anymore.” It hits harder when a fellow artist laughs at your aspirations of going to Maryland Institute College of Art, it’s a special kind of pain. Yet, choosing this path with pride, instead of walking through the shame others expected to see, was a true testament to my perseverance. God gave me this talent, and a courageous heart to share it with the world, so I continue on! Moving forward, I’ve remained completely devoted to my talent of art, continuing to create, and spread my wings to protect the value of its meaning in my own way. I strived to align the world of artistic ideas with "outside of the box" approaches. Coming from a low-income household, with two siblings and a widowed mother, I tried my hardest to not be a financial burden. Instead of using traditional art supplies, I’d only work with the belongings I had inside my house. It was fascinating to discover ways in which I could utilize and turn random, everyday objects into pieces of work. This idea opened my eyes to a renewed sense of possibility, especially as someone who didn’t have basic art necessities in their obtainment. As a result, I make it a routine habit to share with newer, less-experienced artists that you don’t need to follow traditional expectations of the common artist, or artwork for that matter. In doing so, I truly hope individuals in similar situations see the significance their art can carry, and offer to the world as well. Furthermore, I love giving back to my hometown’s community by offering voluntary face-painting services to local elementary, middle, and high schools that are lacking in support for events they host. Noticing how each kid gets excited at seeing a cute painted cartoon on their face is an enjoyable reward. I believe it is important to emphasize variations of art to the younger generations to showcase what makes them, and the world, so beautiful and full of life.

Hello! My name is Annalise Guajardo, a young and passionate artist from San Antonio, Texas. I’ve grown up with a god-given ability to create art, but a deeply-rooted timidness to pursue it as a career. I was always told to follow my dreams, and to reach for the stars. However, as I got older, that phrase diminished to warnings of “art is a dying field.” Expected remarks like that no longer surprised, nor offended me, but hearing my aspirations of applying to Maryland Institute College of Art laughed at by another fellow artist was painful. Nevertheless, I knew that wasn’t going to deter me from my love of art. Frankly, I’ve devoted so much of my lifetime to art that it’s become the only thing I know I excel at enough to build a career. Some part of me feels ashamed for admitting that, but majority of me feels proud that I have a talent to share with the world. Coming from a low-income household, with three siblings and a widowed mother, I tried to not be a financial burden. Instead of using traditional art supplies, I’d work with the belongings I had inside my house. It was always fascinating to find and utilize random, everyday objects into pieces of work. It not only enhances the meaning of the product itself, but also opens realms of possibilities to artists who don't have basic art necessities in their obtainment. I love giving back to the San Antonio community through voluntary face painting services at my local middle and elementary schools. Seeing kids get excited at cute painted cartoons on their face is enjoyable. I believe it is important to emphasize variations of art to the younger generation's to showcase what makes them, and the world, so beautiful and full of life.

This artwork had to be brought to life, I needed it to exist. "You better wake up" carries the traditional appearance of an art piece, sure. Yet it transcends to the surface, telling a story I couldn’t properly translate using words. Made not with intentions to look at it and have feelings of disdain, but for the final release and acceptance to move on from such a bittersweet memory that embodied the souls of many that day. One soul, belonging to a patient, confined to a hospital bed. The other soul, to a visitor, waiting in desperate anticipation for her to wake up in full health. The visitor was me. The hospital room felt infinitely bare, its sterile white walls were filled with the weight of anxiety-induced silence. Within seconds, the urgent actions of doctors hoisted my twin away to the surgery room. All that remained was time and thoughts. There was no escape, at least none that my mind was wanting to provide. Not when she returned, unconscious, her body free from the worry of liver blockage, not even when I could hear her heart rhythm, Beep….Beep….Beep.... As I gazed upon her endlessly, the only notion that persisted above all else in my internal chaos was: “You better wake up.” “You better wake up.” This manifested saying was completely faith-driven, yet, I felt it had more reliability than anything in that moment. Once that traumatic day had ended, life was finally starting to shift upright. However, the aftermath of it all still lingered, quietly inside me. It affected my mental health to such an extent I did not foresee. I suffered immense anxiety attacks, waking up in cold-sweats, believing in nightmares that conjured realistic visions of my sister dying that day. I felt it wasn’t necessary to tell my family, seeing as my sister still needed aid in her recovery. I wanted her to have their full attention, not me. Despite this, I still desired a way to fully process and discuss the emotions I felt, so I turned to the path of art. Art became a positive sanctuary for me, a therapeutic outlet that didn’t need to be spoken, only told in an illustrated experience. The perspective of this piece was intentional. It is mine. It is other people’s. Through the beauty of art, I had the pleasurable opportunity to reveal my hidden mental state, and portray this overlooked point of view. In doing so, I truly hope individuals in similar situations realize their experience carries its own value too. This work of art has bestowed upon me a type of renewal that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. Every artwork I’ve made, including this one, has never truly left without taking fragments of my heart with it. Art helped me heal.