Artists are the narrators of humanity’s great epic. To be an artist is being something much bigger and greater than the art itself. To be an artist means to be vulnerable, to be an artist means to be critical, to be an artist means to be a voice for the voiceless, to be an artist means to unite and inspire people. I am a writer. I've been a storyteller since I was in pull-ups and played with barbies, constructing their little lives, spending hours assigning roles, and acting out scenes. Once I learned how to write, I never stopped. I made my author’s debut in fourth grade after pouring my precious time and effort into a three-and-a-half-chapter short story. As I kept growing, I kept writing, and at some point between the confusion and chaos of my high school years, I got published. Since then, I've been honing my craft. I've been reading more, learning more, and experiencing more so that sometime soon I’ll get published again. Writing is the vessel through which I communicate with the world. It is how I get my thoughts, emotions, and experiences out best. It is the mission I want to dedicate my life to because I know that through joining the artists of my generation I can leave the world better than I found it. All I hope is that the words that I write can help and inspire other people just like me. In times of anguish, anxiety, and sadness, I've used writing to soothe my soul. Whether it’s my collection of angsty poems in the notes app on my phone or heavily revised bouts of prose on my laptop, pieces of me can be found within each word and page. Ultimately, I believe that through my writing and creativity I can write a verse in humanity's epic, and if I'm lucky, help inspire others to do the same. What does being an artist mean to me? It means immortality, inspiration, and innovation. It means giving people comfort, love, joy, and laughter. It means being an advocate and being a voice for change and equality. It means holding up a mirror to our messy world or choosing to photoshop the image. I believe -- and excuse me for this daring take -- that art is one of the things we live for. Without it, I think we would've killed each other off a long long time ago. So I thank art for keeping us all relatively sane, and I thank it for choosing me to be its artist.