Painting a picture that says everything about yourself is an experience that can help you see the path you wish to take in life. Markers, Paintbrushes, Tablets and Styluses were in my hands for as long as I can remember, creating many pieces of art that expressed my personality and my interests to show the world that I am an artist and to show everyone that I exist. Growing up i always strived to express all my feelings and to say what i want to say without any restraint, with art these feelings bloomed like wonderful flowers in a field, all my ideas and sketches coming to life with each brushstroke and each line of a pencil i create the path in life i wish to tread on. Art has always been an important influence in my life, watching cartoons and shows growing up and reading books about the arts have nurtured my creativity and shown me a world made of color and reinforced by expression. Seeing the pieces created by Van Gogh or Picasso inspired me to be bolder and louder with the commanding of colors and taught me understand that art relates with the expression of the artist behind it, while movies from famous studios like Pixar and Ghibli taught me to be also free and to break the rules to help express the feelings i wish to express and to create my own unique style in the arts. Creating art is one of the ways that i believe i can help innovate and stimulate growth in my life and in the lives of others. I dream to become a graphic designer and to work in the studios that have inspired my talent to bloom within me, everyday i dream of creating stories ranging from gritty battlefields to warm cozy cabins as my mind runs wild with creativity and wonder. Inspiration comes to me really easy, seeing a tree or observing the colors of a house lets my mind draw out many things at once that are like blueprints to an engineer or the plans of an architect of their next project. Art is like a hill of a hobby; it starts out hard but as you go on it becomes more easier to learn when you reach the summit. Starting out in art was never truly easy for me, it took me more than 10 years to be where i am now. Copying the styles and techniques of classical artists and cartoons were my starting points early in art, i continue and still do find inspirations to create my art and to develop my own style ranging from Video games, TV shows, Storybooks, etc. With each drawing completed and each piece of art made, I became more confident in myself and helped me see that everything is in life was not as scary i thought to be and my art can create pieces that everyone can enjoy. I plan to major in the arts after i graduate High School, specifically in Graphic Design in Game Development in PHSC. Video Games and Animation were my largest influences in art, so with this scholarship i can pursue my dreams of becoming a graphic designer and to help inspire many more artists to find their path in the arts so i can give back what the community has given unto me ever since i was little. I am filled with gratitude that i get this opportunity to pursue my dreams and to set my life on this path onto becoming an artist and to inspire others in my life.

A press of a button starts the motors of a cooling fan inside of my computer, lights blink with a flash as my monitor sparks into life greeting me a good summers morning. I move my mouse on top of my favorite game, the game that will spark my creativity forever. Eyes awake inside a tram 600 meters underground from the surface, suit and tie with a briefcase in hand, an ID Card clipped on his chest bears the symbol for the facility he works for, Black Mesa. He watches his surroundings as he commutes to his assigned sector—scientists and Machines bring life to the facility he now resides in. A lone security guard struggles with a door malfunction, a problem stemming from random power fluctuations across Black Mesa and its sectors—An HECU Marine trains and goes through boot camp, powering through every scream and call of his drill sergeant as he clears every obstacle in his way—these three men don't know that all their fates, are truly intertwined. Half-Life is a game of progress, struggle and strife. Considered as the father of the modern FPS genre, Half Life places you in the shoes of its main protagonist, Gordon Freeman, a scientist roped into chaos as he survives the catastrophe, he created through the Resonance Cascade and has to fight through Aliens, Grunts, and a literal space god. All because he tried to do his job right during the first day. The story of Half-Life has always resonated with me ever since I first started playing it, a tragedy turned heroic story where an average joe becomes the hero fighting through the chaos of Black Mesa—It inspired me with everything it offered from the puzzles, colors, sound design, its OSTs, dialogue, and its rich mysterious lore. Imagine being in the shoes of the protagonist, a regular day to day scientist who doesn't know his entire life would suddenly change because of a consequence he didn't see coming. I related to Gordon in a sense that i was just a regular kid who loved to create and to tell stories growing up but never knew that those hobbies and skills turned me into the artist who i am now. Growing up I had a vivid imagination, drawing and doodling all the ideas I had, playing with my toys and making up stories of invasions and soldiers—When i began to play Half-Life, it felt like i was Gordon himself, that i was that average scientist dragged into a pressuring situation where all was at stake. It gave the spark to my artistic ability, the spark to create stories and art pieces that helped me express myself the same way all those years ago when i began to play the game. To say that games sparked my talent as an artist is an understatement, it helped my interests grow and change as time went on, learning new things thanks to the opportunity video games gave me, the opportunity to express myself and to put myself out there. To quote the game itself, "Prepare for Unforeseen Consequences." -Eli Vance

Art is a special interest of mine, years of practice and dedication placed into a creative I truly enjoy has been a wonderful journey ever since I picked up a pen. Creativity was instilled in me growing up, I enjoyed collecting sketchbooks and art materials to create these wild imaginations that were flooding my mind with curiosity and wonder, I began to draw many things such as monsters and ghouls or robots and cartoon characters. These pieces began messy and crude but over time I taught myself through art books, cartoons, music, and my knack for observation. As a kid i was quiet, isolated, and prefer to be by myself, I always closed myself out from people due to my fears and trauma which lead me to become sad, enraged, and frustrated that i cant truly express myself the I truly want to. Then, i discovered a painting from a certain artist, the painting presented a branch of an almond tree blossoming its flowers in a bright blue background. I was entranced by its beauty, the complex lines and its bright colors inspired me to express myself in a new way, a way that was enjoyable and challenging enough for me that id be hooked for life. Books upon books about their history and lives gave me the know how to create art, but not exactly the skills to do so, I decided then and there to follow my dream of art and to express myself in the way they do, to create pieces that gives me happiness and to inspire others to follow the arts and to help others express themselves. For the first couple of years since i began it was rough and challenging. I had unsteady hands and a gnawing fear of perfection, that i must create a piece that i approved of. I nearly gave up many times thinking that maybe the arts wasn't for me, but then i realized something. Vincent Van Gogh, a tragic artist who thought his works were nothing but insignificant and bleak painted the most famous pieces of our time such as the Starry Night, Almond Blossoms, Cafe Terrace at Night and his many self-portraits had never truly given up at creating art. He was riddled with fear and anger for his craft, but he transformed those emotions into loud and vibrant pieces that still are remembered up to this day. When i realized that i suddenly saw the world in a much different color, it was like a dewdrop fell Infront of me and blinded me with color and inspiration in that very moment. I began to understand art was truly for me and i began to fall in love with it every single day since then, I picked up a pen and began my 16-year journey into honing my craft and using it to shape the world as i know it. I used many mediums to create so many pieces of art, starting from a sketchbook then to a canvas and now a digital tablet. Medium after medium i practiced and did my best that i won many awards in art competitions i was apart of, it finally clicked on me that the arts were my talent, my joy, and my expression to show the world that i can shape it and prove to myself that i can do it. To close this essay, I wish to pursue an art degree for college and to work for a graphic design job so i can keep learning the craft i truly love and the craft i worked hard for.

This piece of art was created for its emotion, its feel, and its meaning to me as an artist who always strives hard to better himself in the arts. Art has meant so much to me ever since I was little, from crayons being smudged onto walls to a stylus touching a tablet for the past 16 years of my life, art has been a huge part of my life. Sketchbooks were always being scribbled on when it was in my hands, my mind always thinks of new sketches and art pieces, and I always strive to experiment and learn from other artists who have inspired my craft such as Picasso or the marvels of Hideaki Anno. I always seek inspiration from my surroundings and the emotions people express, me included. To have the arts as your hobby and your talent is a feeling like no other, it's like a self-sustaining battery of creativity and motivation to create what you wish to create, to see what you wish to see, and to say what you wish to say. Humans require a muse to create their art, Poets like Shakespeare have written impressive poems and plays as a playwright taking inspiration from his city and life, or like a painter of Van Goghs caliber where tragedy and creativity meet to create such loud and vibrant pieces of art that roamed across the world via mouth and color. The muse I use and see when I create a piece of art is the experiences and emotions I have gone through, and the stories people tell about their own lives and the history of others. Art is a special thing to me all my life, I always strive to be better, to express my emotions without restraint, without the arts I would've been a very different person from who I am now and will live a very different path. Ever since Digital Art entered my life, I always felt like I had the world in my hands, that I had the power to create even more than I ever have before. Many other pieces came before the ones I present to you; all those early sketches and drawings were messy, and confusing the proportions weren't in line, the colors were confusing, and the feelings were chaotic and not up the standard i have set myself prior breaking into the digital space, but I never truly gave up on it. This piece was drawn after many years of progress and honing my craft and being inspired by something else other than paintings or animation. Hatsune Miku was the very first character I ever drawn when I began breaking into the space of Digital Art and Graphic Design. Her colors were my favorite shade of blue, her bubbly personality resonated with the art I wish to create and the songs she was in always drove my motivation to create more and more art. These 2 pieces are fanarts of Hatsune Miku, showing my thanks and gratitude to her for helping me push through tough times and to always push hard to create more art. Earning this scholarship with the craft I worked hard in, and I truly love would mean so much to me. May you enjoy the two drawings I submit and to win this scholarship.