Most of you probably don't know this, but I am a home schooled highschooler. Mind blowing, right? But, what made me want to start my art career this early? What made me think I was ready, when I hadn't gone to art school and mostly just doodled in my spare time? Why would I be willing to dive into this scary business of illustrating a children's book? Well, to be honest, I didn't think I was ready, not even in the slightest. It was super scary getting started, and it will continue to be scary until I am done with the illustrations for this book. After all, I'm only fifteen. How could I possibly satisfy this person's needs?
But here are the reasons why I will never ever regret getting a head start on my illustrating career in highschool, and you won't either.
1. Highschoolers have time
Now, I realize that a lot of highschoolers really don't feel like they have time, between classes and homework and socializing, but don't you think that you'll have even less time to start your dream career while having to work full time or even part time at a job you hate? If you start up your dream business in highschool, maybe you won't ever need to work at McDonald's!
2. They aren't under pressure to support themselves
This sort of goes along with the last one, but seriously. In highschool you really can afford to mess up! You don't have to have two jobs just in case one doesn't work out.
3. The experience gained is priceless
By making mistakes, you gain experience that you can't get anywhere else. What better time to do that than when you are in highschool and don't have to support yourself? Also, what if you decide you want to do something different with your life? Rather than changing majors in the middle of college and wasting a bunch of time and money, why not really test your limits in highschool?
4. Old people love to see young people do just about anything
Since not a lot of highschoolers start their own business, if yours does end up doing well, there is a lot of potential for getting out there in the media, just for being young. It's crazy, and not fully fair, but hey, take whatever you can get. Plus, your parents will be supah pwoud of you.
5. It will set you in the right direction
I don't know about other highschoolers, but I happen to be scared out of my mind of the idea of growing up and having responsibilities. So, what do I do? I throw a ton of responsibilities onto my shoulders and hope for the best! Logical. Right. But actually, in the midst of this hulabaloo, I seem to have found a light. I can't even believe how privileged I am for having such a head start on my dream career. I am comforted by the knowledge that I have a few years to grow even more, and get even better jobs, before I even have to worry about finances and money. No matter what your dream is, fellow highschoolers, I encourage you to find a way to make it a reality even in highschool. Or, if you don't know what you want to do, I would have to tell you that now is the time for experimenting! If you are thinking of getting a job at McDonalds, I hope that you might reconsider following your passion while you can, because it will be so gratifying to actually make money by doing what you love, no matter if it is the same amount that you would make working at a fast food joint.
If I can do it, you can too! I wish you luck on this incredible, mind numbing, awful, terrifying, wonderful journey, where you will get even less sleep than you are getting now. But in the end, you can thank me. Because following your dream is the most amazing thing, no matter the consequences.
Leave your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to tell me what to talk about next.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI'm a freshman in highschool trying to learn art and do something with it. I love your blog and your dream! I don't know what to do or where to start, though.
Hi Alejandro! The great thing about art is that anyone can do it with just a piece of paper and a pencil. I would recommend buying a sketchbook if you haven't yet, even just a cheap one, because it is really fun to flip through and see your progress :) Before you find your style, just use reference photos and try to copy them exactly as best you can. If you practice faithfully every day you will get good at it and then you can move on to trying to find your own style beyond realism. I wish you the best of luck on your journey as an artist! Feel free to ask me any questions that you have. You can also email me at zoglow2311@gmail.com , I'd love to see your artwork :D
DeleteAlso, if you don't already you can try posting your art on http://www.deviantart.com because it is awesome to get feedback on your art.
DeleteMost of my art is just sketches and I never really finish any of it. :l Do you think I should post them anyway or try to commit to finishing works of art?
DeleteThanks for the tips! :D
I had the same problem! I was forced to change when my sister asked me to illustrate a children's book for her. What you could do, since you like video games, is look for reference photos of people on the internet that look like how you would imagine your video game characters to look like in real life (you can get separate ref photos for the clothes, hair, face, etc) and use those to draw your favorite characters as if they were real people. Work really really hard on one picture and post it on deviantart, making sure to add lots of tags so people can find it. If you enjoy doing that, you can do it again. If you don't, you can try something else. Let me know how it goes :)
DeleteWill do!
DeleteYou're awesome!
Why thank you :D
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