One of the oldest hobbies of mine that I still keep up with today is visual art. It’s relaxing and is the purest form of self expression to me. I’ve done a lot of painting and three dimensional art, to a lesser extent, but drawing is my favorite mode of art. Cliché or not, for as long as I can remember I’ve been doodling and making actual finished “pieces”. I loved making my own comic books, mostly referencing aspects of popular culture seen through the eyes of a 5-10 year old. My mom has kept one of my comics, “Batman vs. Harry Potter,” for almost a decade, and constantly reminds me that it was the peak of my creativity. While it pains me to admit it, but she wasn’t wrong. After middle school, my interest in drawing took a nosedive. I don’t think I have any drawings from that period in my life, and I keep all of them. High school provided me with opportunities to rekindle my interest in art, through required and eventually elected classes. However, my creative side wasn’t instantly rejuvenated with the art classes. I found myself trying to recreate scenes or people on paper with as much detail and precision as possible. This isn’t necessarily a bad skill to develop as an artist, there also isn’t much room to make it personal. As my high school art career progressed I became increasingly bored with realistic drawings, so I began to add my own quirks to them. They were still detailed, but, I’d purposefully alter aspects of people’s faces or body, like a realistic caricature. I get much more satisfaction from looking at a finished drawing that I know is 100% mine. I don’t have many pastimes or passions, and none that I’ve had for as long as drawing, so art is something I plan or pursuing through college and beyond!