My name is Wyatt Johnson, and I’m 18 years old and from West Valley City, Utah. I’m an artist dedicated to expression and exploration through my craft. I’m anxiously excited to find my way into the world. But for now, I’m preparing to leave for a church mission in Uruguay for the next two years. I will grow and gain great wisdom through countless opportunities to serve and teach people from different cultures and backgrounds. Once I get home, I will use my newly acquired skills to acclimate to the strains of a college schedule. When I begin my studies at Southern Utah University, I plan on double majoring in studio art and psychology. I want to focus on learning everything I can to prepare for a career in the mental health field. I greatly care about people, and I am more than ready to dedicate my life and career to spreading happiness and helping people work through their problems, especially if it means I can share the healing powers of creativity. I encountered personal mental stumbling blocks during my time in high school, many of which live on today as metaphorical scars in my subconscious mind. During my junior year, my cousin tried to take her life. It rocked me to my core. In the following weeks and months, I grappled with many dark thoughts. Was it my fault? What could I have done better? Through time, I found closure as I watched my cousin make changes in her life. In that time, I also found great comfort through my faith and artistic practices. I only wish that I could have had access to or knowledge of mental health services to help further process my complex emotions. My personal need for mental healthcare, in conjunction with my cousin’s suicide attempt and countless other friends’ struggles, have pushed me to want to become an art therapist. I know I’m not an underrepresented minority, and that I will never fully understand even half of the injustices and hardships that people of color have endured in this country. It probably could be argued that it would be an injustice for me as a white man, to even be considered for such a scholarship as this. But I want to do my part in making amends for what feels like a broken world. I truly feel called to share my artistic talents and promote wellness and mental health to the masses. I especially want to work with minorities, youth, and those who are economically disadvantaged and cannot and do not have the treatment they need. I never want a child to feel the fear and grief that I felt, and I will spend the rest of my life down to my last breath, spreading the hope and joy that I find in art.

My name is Wyatt Johnson, and I was born and raised in West Valley City, Utah. Art is one of the things that I treasure most in this world. I love the creative process and journey that I take every time I work on a new piece. Every final product is made possible through imperfect efforts, constant corrections, and pure passion. Art has taught me many things throughout my life and my high school career. I’ve learned that I cannot rely on my talents alone, I need to be willing to be taught, and that art is so much more than a glob of paint spread on a board. I need to create for myself, for my happiness, and for my growth as a person. I can’t expect myself to be pumping out masterpieces with the snap of my fingers and twirl of a paintbrush. I’ve learned that art can be something different for every single person. When I was a junior, my cousin tried to take her life. It rocked me to my core. Even more recently, my uncle was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given two years to live. The health of my grandparents has also begun to decline as well, prompting great fear, uncertainty, and confusion for myself and the rest of my family. But I have realized one has to struggle to find a way to rise above it all. Because of those moments, I know what I want to do with my life. I want to utilize the creative powers of art and learn more about mental health and the human mind to someday become an Art Therapist. In a world that confuses, frightens, and breaks my heart, I can rely on my faith and my art to help me heal and move forward. This concept, being able to emotionally release and heal through creativity, is something that I so desperately want to share with others, specifically teens and young kids. In this day and age, children experience really hard things from school shootings and abuse to hunger and neglect. I believe kids need a way to release these emotions. Kids need accessible, affordable, and effective therapy. Many of my friends have had difficulty with getting access to such things, and I look to change that in my future career. I sincerely believe that art is a key component in helping young people open up and feel comfortable to express themselves and get help dealing with tough emotions and situations. I frequently find myself enamored and lost in wonder as I watch young children take baby steps on the path of their artistic development. I feel like I can see the little gears in their heads spinning as they energetically scrawl whatever image comes to their mind on an ordinary piece of paper. The mind of a child is truly magical, and I believe that mental health awareness and therapy can help children keep that creativity alive in their adult lives.

I think a lot of my peers would be quick to answer when asked why they do art. I’ve heard many say that it helps them express themselves, feel unique, or maybe just because they’re bored. Those are all important reasons to create, art does the same for me as well, but I think that art can do more for us. Art blesses me everyday by helping me see the beautiful things in life. Especially in a world that seems to be crumbling at times, it is very refreshing to have a new perspective thanks to art. Some of the biggest lessons I have learned from creating are discipline, endurance, and confidence. I know that these lessons I have learned, and the skills I have refined over the course of my high school career, will only make me a better artist and person in the future. Currently, I am in AP Studio Art. It is by far the most challenging class I have taken in high school. I don’t think I have ever had more work or expectations at any other point in my formal education. But all the challenges I have faced have made this class worth taking. By the end of the school year, I will have made 15 pieces that are all founded around a single theme. That means that I’ve had a piece due about every week and a half. The theme that I chose to base my portfolio around this year discovers themes of family, nostalgia, love, and self-identity. It’s been a lot of work, and I’ve wanted to quit at many points. But all the work has been worth it. I have learned so much about how important it is to create honestly, with intentions of telling a story based on personal experience and passion. I’ve come to understand that when I create without the right motivations, the end result will likely not be the best it could have been. In the future, I want to continue making art. I want to continue to share my stories and display my dreams for the world to see. I also look to push boundaries and experiment with new mediums and methods or working that haven’t been seen before. I will also continue to take risks, experiment, and enter shows with hopes of someone connecting with what I create. But even more importantly, I will continuously make mistakes and encounter failure. I want to make people understand that failure is one of the biggest reasons why I make art. When I inevitably fail, I can make a change and be even stronger of an artist than I was before. Those aspirations are now all possible now that I’m enrolled at SUU, where my artistic style will grow and mature. After college, I dream of being an art therapist to work with children. I want to teach them the healing powers of art, and how important it is to keep creativity alive within themselves. In the future, I want to create masterpieces with my greatest creations of all, my own children. I want to teach them to work hard and imagine solutions in the way that art has done for me. I want to find ways to raise my children in a home of art so that they can grow to be change makers and lights in a world that needs more of it.

My plan to make a positive impact on the world through art is to share it with everyone I can. As a young artist, it can sometimes be easy to do art of recognition and awards. But that's not what this is all about. It is about constantly pouring myself out to others, learning to erase my past mistakes and realizing that I can be better. It's learning that good things, even masterpieces come in time. That they come about through hard work and constant practice. I particularly enjoy learning of the many artists, both well-known and unknown, who have left a piece of their perspective on life for the rest of us artists to be inspired by. Some of my biggest influences include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Wassily Kandinsky, Willem DeKooning, Jon Sarkin, Ferris Buehler, Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and even my mother! These masters of expression and creativity might not be the first to describe themselves as such, but they all exhibit attributes in their art that I aspire to replicate in my special way. I love to get lost in the creative process to find new ways to deal with whatever life throws at me. When I am making art, I would go as far as to say it is a spiritual experience for me. I love letting my artistic instincts take control. This exchange between a blank canvas and my instincts contributes to what I would say is a sense of spontaneity, to the overall personality of my art. I aspire to make raw, emotional, relatable, and entertaining art that touches everyone that comes in contact with it. I hope to show others that art is for everyone and to be an example of fearless and unwavering creativity and expression. In much of the art I've seen, you can learn about a person by the movement, colors, patterns, and ideas used in a piece. I like to think that people can do the same with my art. Art just brings me indescribable joy, peace, and solace, and I am eager to share that with others. I want to make my mark on the world, by helping others make theirs.

I have always loved doing art, and thanks to many loving friends, amazing teachers, and my mother, I now see that I can use my talents and skills in my future career. I am very fortunate to have also been given many leadership opportunities at church, school, and other opportunities around my community. When I first came into high school, I was excited to take advantage of the many opportunities that high school offers. I ran for student government positions both my freshman and sophomore years. I didn’t make it either year, and that really hurt me. I basically began a downward spiral. I lost confidence, faith in myself, I was jealous and angry with others. During the thick of the Covid Pandemic, (my freshman year), I joined the Art Club and NAHS, which consisted of a couple of soon-to-graduate seniors. The next year, I was made NAHS president. This gave me many opportunities to make art and contribute to service projects around my community in the form of art. One of the first projects I worked on was a mosaic for Suicide Prevention. We also posted inspirational messages on sticky notes for all our peers to see, and contributed to some different food and clothing drives around the school, and even painted some set designs for musicals and one-acts done by our theater company. My favorite service project was the Sense of Community Mural. All the high school’s art clubs in our district were assigned early in my sophomore year to make a mural that embodied the unique personality of their community. My school's mural promised to be very different from most of the other murals in our district. My high school is one of the most diverse in the county, even the state! In fact, our high school is about 60% Hispanic! I’m privileged to have grown up around many people of different races, cultures, and other backgrounds. So for almost the whole school year, just three other people and I worked on the mural. For a couple hours a few days a week, and even a weekend of two, our small band of artists worked on the project. Our final product was something that we could all be proud of, that we felt clearly represented us and our community. During my time as president, I learned a lot, and changed as a person. I learned a bit about what leadership truly is. It’s not about having a fancy jacket and the exclusive company that you work with. It’s not about parading around asserting yourself and being in charge of others. It’s about how you make people feel seen, what you do to branch out and expand spheres of influence. Specifically with art, our club is given the unique opportunity of utilizing self-expression and helping a person understand their unique creative abilities that help them positively affect the people around them. Art club has opened my eyes by helping me be a leader to others by example and how I create and share with others, rather than focusing on a title and asserting myself over others.

I dream of sharing my artistic talents to help people face their problems.

I'm in an Art History class right now, and I've learned so much from the great artists throughout human history. Personally, Jean Michel-Basquiat stands out from the rest of the artists we've studied. Arguably one of the greatest graffiti, neo-expressionist, pop, and street artists of all time, his creativity continues to impress me to this day. Basquiat is one of the most well-known modern artists in the world. He did so much for the black community, in bringing to light the inequalities and racism that have plagued America for centuries. His whole portfolio and his signature childish, chaotic art style have deeply inspired me. Some of my favorite pieces of his include "Hollywood Africans", "Horn Players", "Bird on Money", and several of his Untitled works. So earlier this school year, I made a piece that drew some inspiration from Basquiat's carefreeness and stylistic flair. The piece is entitled "Rising", and it's very special to me. I wanted to inspire people who look at my piece, to give people hope in a world that deprives us of it. All my life, I have seen much violence, discrimination, racism, and pain. I have also seen great joy, kindness, creativity, and ambition, and I'm lucky to be part of a generation that is being looked to solve the big problems. I think of "Rising", as a call to action for my peers. I want to inspire my viewer to be moved, to feel love for people around them, to love the differences and similarities in everyone, and to go out and share what they feel. The process of making this piece broke a lot of barriers for me. It was my first piece where I used acrylic paint. I also used chalk pastels and collages, which are mediums that I'm very comfortable with. This piece was very fun to make, and I hope that people have had fun looking at it. I entered "Rising" into a school show, where it won 2nd place in its category. Then just a few weeks ago, I entered it into a show near where I live. It didn't win anything at the show, but it sold, much to my surprise. This piece has introduced me to many new experiences in the art world and helped me understand my creative process. I now know that I am making art that people appreciate and that people want to see. I don't come from a wealthy upbringing, but I do come from a community that has taught me to appreciate culture, stories, diversity, and hard work. Art gives me a chance to create and share my own story, my own unique perspective on the world and how I see it. This is just only the beginning of what I hope to be a long, successful art career for me to share and inspire others.

My name is Wyatt, I'm almost 17 years old, and I believe that everyone is an artist. In my short life so far, I have found a great passion for art. Far too often, I hear people tell me that they are bad at art. Then I tell them that as human beings, we instinctively create new things. Art is something that has always been a part of us. If you don't feel like the art you produce is the best it could be, then you just haven't found the right style for yourself! My favorite thing about art is that art is relative. One piece of art will rarely have the same meaning to you as it is to me. When you think about it, no art is bad art, it just depends on your perspective. I want to use my future career to help people understand themselves through art. I love to get lost in the creative process to find new ways to deal with whatever life throws at me. I am a very emotional person, and you can see that within my art. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. I'm in an Art History class right now, and I've learned so much from the great artists throughout human history. Personally, Jean Michel-Basquiat stands out from the rest of the artists we've studied. Arguably one of the greatest graffiti, neo-expressionist, pop, and street artists of all time, his creativity continues to impress me to this day. Basquiat is one of the most well-known modern artists in the world. He did so much for the black community, in bringing to light the inequalities and racism that have plagued America for centuries. His whole portfolio and his signature childish, chaotic art style have deeply inspired me. So earlier this school year, I made a piece that drew some inspiration from Basquiat. The piece is entitled "Rising", and it's very special to me. I wanted to inspire people who look at my piece, to give people hope in a world that deprives us of it. It is also the first piece that I used paint. I also used chalk pastels and collage, which are mediums that I'm very comfortable with. This piece was very fun to make, and I hope that people have had fun looking at it. I entered "Rising" into a school show, where it won 2nd place in its category. Then just a few weeks ago, I entered it into a show near where I live. It didn't win anything at the show, but it sold, much to my surprise. This piece has introduced me to many new experiences in the art world and helped me understand my creative process. I now know that I am making art that people appreciate and that people want to see. Growing up, I've always looked up to my mom. She too is an artist. We critique each other, and go to each other's shows, art is a central part of our relationship. She did art in high school, and even won the Sterling Scholar for art. She eventually graduated from Art School, and she wants to open a non-profit organization to give kids free art lessons someday. This scholarship will put me on my path to further pursuing art as my mother has. My story is just beginning, and I can't wait to share it with people. Art means everything to me. Art is my life.

Ever since I was crawling around on all fours, I've always had an artistic side. I would draw on everything. Within a week, I would fill up a composition notebook with pictures of monster trucks, Vikings, superheroes, and Angry Birds. All my life, I have been passionate about art, and I believe that everyone is an artist. Far too often, I hear people tell me that they are bad at drawing or art. Then I tell them that as human beings, we instinctively create new things. If you don't feel like the art you produce is the best it could be, then you just haven't found the right style for yourself! My favorite thing about art is that art is relative. One piece of art will rarely have the same meaning to you as it is to me. When you think about it, nearly all art isn't bad, it just depends on your perspective. I think that the only bad art is the art that lacks personality and creativity. One of my all-time favorite pieces is Jean Michel Basquiat's Untitled Piece in 1982. He used mainly primary colors and thick black strokes on top of variously colored planes of paint in the background to depict what appears to be a skull. Also present in this piece are Basuiat's text and irregular patterns, which are distinctly part of his style. Basquiat is one of the most well-known modern artists in the world. He did so much for the black community, in bringing to light the inequalities and racism that have plagued America for centuries. His whole portfolio and his signature chaotic art style have deeply inspired me. So earlier this school year, I made a piece that drew some inspiration from Basquiat. The piece is entitled "Rising", and it's very special to me. I wanted to inspire people who look at my piece, to give people hope in a world that deprives us of it. It is also the first piece that I used paint. I also used chalk pastel and collage, which are mediums that I'm very comfortable with. This piece was very fun to make, and I hope that people have had fun looking at it. I entered "Rising" into a school show, where it won 2nd place in its category. Then just a few weeks ago, I entered it into a show near where I live. It didn't win anything at the show, but it sold, much to my surprise. This piece has introduced me to many new experiences in the art world and helped me understand my creative process. I now know that I am making art that people appreciate and that people want to see. I want to use my future career to help people understand themselves through art. I love to get lost in the creative process to find new ways to deal with whatever life throws at me. I am a very emotional person, and you can see that within my art. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. By doing art for as long as I have, I have gained such skills as resilience, time management, problem-solving, and others. Art is something that has always been a part of us. It is something that I hope to further advance and practice throughout my career.

For my career, I am strongly interested in becoming an Art Therapist. This career combines my deep passion for the arts and self-expression with my love of helping and lifting others around me. My career goals include establishing myself as one of the prominent Art Therapists in Utah, especially since there are very few. I also want to work with kids. I want to help establish a love of creativity and art, to help those kids unleash their inner talents to help them stay strong in the face of what life throws at them. Specifically for gifted children, I think I can achieve these goals. Having been in several AP, CE, and Honors courses, I think I will be able to relate closely to lots of gifted children in my profession. I, too, take my education very seriously; I have had to learn to balance my emotions and schooling. I want to help others understand gifted children by first, helping gifted children understand themselves. I want to help them slow down and take care of their needs, while simultaneously encouraging them to go out and keep helping others. I want to use my future career to help people understand themselves through art. I love to get lost in the creative process to find new ways to deal with whatever life throws at me. I am a very emotional person, and you can see that within my art. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. By doing art for as long as I have, I have gained such skills as resilience, time management, problem-solving, and others. Art is something that has always been a part of us. It is something that I hope to further advance and practice throughout my career. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. Not only have I found great success in school art contests and programs, but I have even found success outside of school with my art. For my future career, I am strongly considering Studio Artist. I want to make art that can help people be happy. Lately, I have also considered Art Therapy. In our current day and age, mental health has become increasingly important. This career would allow me to be close and personal with people, to help them work through their problems through art and the creative process. No matter what career I go into, I want to help people understand and reach their potential. I want to make my mark on the world, by helping others make theirs.

My name is Wyatt, I’m 16 years old, I have 16 chickens and a spider plant named Frank, and I’m here because I have an addiction to Dance Moms.

Ever since I was crawling around on all fours, I've always had an artistic side. I would draw on everything. Within a week, I would fill up a composition notebook with pictures of monster trucks, Vikings, superheroes, and Angry Birds. All my life, I have been passionate about art, and I believe that everyone is an artist. Far too often, I hear people tell me that they are bad at drawing or art. Then I tell them that as human beings, we instinctively create new things. If you don't feel like the art you produce is the best it could be, then you just haven't found the right style for yourself! My favorite thing about art is that art is relative. One piece of art will almost never have the same meaning to you as it is to me. When you really think about it, no art really is bad art, it just depends on your perspective. I want to use my future career to help people understand themselves through art. I love to get lost in the creative process to find new ways to deal with whatever life throws at me. I am a very emotional person, and you can see that within my art. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. By doing art for as long as I have, I have gained such skills as resilience, time management, problem-solving, and others. Art is something that has always been a part of us. It is something that I hope to further advance and practice through my career.

To look back on my life so far, it is baffling that I am only in the early stages of my life. I have constantly been the leader of many projects, activities, and nearly any situation I am in. At times, it can be very tiring to have to handle that much stress and responsibility, but I find ways to power through and remain strong. By reflecting, I realize that this is a process that I will never stop using my entire life. Ever since I was a toddler, I have been taught by my parents to work hard, never give up, and be humble. So when I was old enough, I got a job. Especially with such a job as a sweeper at my former elementary, I was faced with new responsibilities. It has been the best possible situation for me to manage my time and stay busy. Because of how long I have been there and the work ethic I have demonstrated, I am basically the head janitor's right-hand man. Additionally, I have held a critical role in clubs and organizations. Due to the pandemic, NAHS was in shambles. I came in Freshman year and was basically the president due to such small numbers. I was given many responsibilities to communicate with our advisor and oversee art projects and come up with future ideas. NAHS has been the beneficiary of my talents, and leadership. For example, our club just finished our yearly project, the Sense of Community Mural. During the whole process, I was one of four people who were there for the whole process of the project. Because of our limited numbers, I was a critical part of major design decisions and I had a great influence on the creative process of the whole project.

For my future career, I am strongly considering studio art. I want to make art that can help people be happy. Lately, I have also considered art therapy. In our current day and age, mental health has become increasingly important. Especially with the world recovering from the Covid lockdown, people are looking for ways to be themselves and find their place in society again. This career would allow me to be close and personal with people, to help them work through their problems through art. I want to help people get lost in the creative process so that they can find new ways to deal with whatever life throws at them. I am a very emotional person, and you can see that within my art. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. Not only have I found great success in school art contests and programs, but I have even found success outside of school with my art. When it comes to having a future career, I want to work closely with kids in low-income neighborhoods where there aren't as many opportunities for affordable art classes. I plan to achieve success by working closely with the community. No matter what career I go into, I want to help people understand and reach their potential. I want to make my mark on the world.

Ever since I was crawling around on all fours, I've always had an artistic side. I would draw on everything. Within a week, I would fill up a composition notebook with pictures of monster trucks, Vikings, superheroes, and Angry Birds. I have always been a very emotional person, and you can see that within my art. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. Not only have I found great success in school art contests and programs, but I have even found success outside of school with my art. Unlike many other of my fellow peers, I enjoy doing most of my art outside of school on my own time. In fact, that is when I usually do my best artwork. Whenever I'm not working on my next big project, you can find me drawing random basketball players, chickens, or animals with little hats. When it comes to developing artistic talent, I want to follow a similar path to my mother. She also was very artistic in high school, and she even went on to study at UVU and the University of Utah. I want to be like my mother in how she shares her art with others, she even wants to open up a non-profit organization for underprivileged kids to do art. In the future, I want to help people understand and reach their potential through art. I want to make my mark on the world.

My great-great-grandfather, Jose Fransisco Rodriguez, came to Utah by himself when he was only 18 years old. For the next 29 years of his life, he worked endlessly to provide for his family and live the American dream. He wanted to be a true American so bad that he even changed his name to Frank Roberts. He served in WW1, as a local Scout leader, and helped with countless community projects. For me, he is who I want to be like as an adult. I honor his memory by celebrating some traditions of his like Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Dead. I also am learning Spanish to honor his memory. There is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for the sacrifices that Frank made for others, he is a huge part of why I sit here today writing this essay. As for my parents, they are both born and raised here in Utah. They both came from large families, and money was hard to come by. But despite all the different challenges, my parents learned from an early age how to work hard. My mom passes out newspapers until she got married, and my dad learned various skills from working with his dad that made him the handyman he is today. My whole life, my parents have taught me that the only way to find true happiness is by working for it. They have taught me resilience and how to be grateful for everything I have. I want to go to college so I can honor Frank, my parents, and everyone who has helped me along the way. I want to pay forward the kindness and wisdom that I have obtained from others.

Ever since I was crawling around on all fours, I've always had an artistic side. I would draw on everything. Within a week, I would fill up a composition notebook with pictures of monster trucks, Vikings, superheroes, and Angry Birds. Additionally to my flourishing artistic skills, I learned a lot of life skills from my parents. My father, a self-employed handyman, and mother, an elementary art teacher, both came from backgrounds they did not have a lot. They both taught me how to work hard, love others, and help others. Since I started high school, art was my go-to to express all of my complicated teenage emotions. I am a very emotional person, and you can see that within my art. I want to make art that people can see themselves in. I want people to be able to sit down for a while and go on a journey within my piece. Not only have I found great success in school art contests and programs, but I have even found success outside of school with my art. For my future career, I am strongly considering studio art. I want to make art that can help people be happy. Lately, I have also considered art therapy. In our current day and age, mental health has become increasingly important. This career would allow me to be close and personal with people, to help them work through their problems through art. No matter what career I go into, I want to help people understand and reach their potential. I want to make my mark on the world.