To Be an Artist by Genesis

To Be an Artist by Genesis - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

From the outside looking in, art seems to be something easy to create. You first pick a message or an emotion you want to create through your piece, whether that piece be a painting, a poem, a monologue, or even a short story. You then present that piece and then you’re finished, therefore earning yourself the title of an artist. However, there is much more to that than meets the eye and I, as a theater artist, have witnessed first hand how difficult bringing art to life can be. It is so much more than thinking to yourself, “I think I’ll make something today and pass it off as art.” So much time, effort, and patience goes into it. When people say that they have put blood, sweat, and tears into a piece of artwork, more often than not, they are being completely legitimate.
I started working in the theatrical arts when I was in the seventh grade. I genuinely enjoyed working onstage and backstage just because it simply was unlike anything I had ever done before. When I decided to go into a high school for the arts, I had never been in a full fledged production, only small plays and musicals that only took a few weeks to put together. I certainly was one of those outside looking in people that I mentioned earlier. I did not fully understand what it took to create art, I only had a mere glimpse of it. Going into school was certainly intimidating, watching kids who had dedicated these past four years, at least, to their art. Even the culinary and visual arts students worked tirelessly to create work they were proud of. There were times where I thought to myself, “Can I honestly do this? Do I want to do this?” In all types of art, there is always that moment of doubt. Mine just came much sooner than I ever expected it to.
As that doubt ran endlessly through my head, my performances began to be hindered. I would stumble on my words, get flustered in the middle of my monologues, panic and blank on my lines - all things you never want to happen when performing. My theater teacher and director seemed to notice this change from the girl who just had fun on stage to the girl who teared up if she forgot to say a tiny word in her monologue. So she pulled me aside, and she asked me what was wrong. I admitted that I felt like I could not do it; I could not be like students who were two or three years older than me. I could never be an artist.
First, she reminded me that it would take time for me to be at the level of the juniors or seniors because I had not had the experience they did just yet. Then she reminded me that in order to be an artist, I needed to be confident in my work and be willing to take risks with no second thoughts. Broadway legends like Chita Rivera or Bernadette Peters did not get to the level they did because they shied away from the risks they knew they should have taken, they got so far because they embraced that fear of going out of their comfort zone and knew that even if they did not get that dream role, they left it all out onstage. So I started thinking about that more and more, every time I went on stage I would ask myself, “What can I do to make myself stand out?” I was not sure if my director’s words of wisdom would get me out of my slump, but I was definitely willing to try.
Needless to say, her words worked. By my senior year, I had collected over 100 thespian points for the International Thespian Society, I was elected president of my school’s thespian troupe, and I was awarded Student Artist of the Month twice by my theater department. I have been a part of award winning productions, both in school and out of school, and have received a great deal of support and recognition from the Rhode Island theater community for my performances. I can honestly say now, with no doubt whatsoever, this would have never happened without that talk I had just over four years ago. I have now earned the title of an artist.