Why I Never Stopped Making Art

People have asked me over the years why I never stopped making art.

The answer is actually pretty simple.

It makes me feel better.

Art has always been one of the ways I process life. When I'm painting, drawing, or working on a project, my mind slows down enough for me to sort through things. Stress feels more manageable. Problems feel less overwhelming. It gives me space to think.

I've noticed that some of the happiest periods of my life have been the ones where I'm actively making something. The periods where I'm not usually feel more chaotic and disconnected.

Art has always helped me find my way back to myself.

It also gives me the opportunity to connect with other people. I love seeing someone smile when they find a piece they connect with, but some of my favorite moments have come from people telling me they decided to pick up a sketchbook, paintbrush, or creative hobby because they saw something I made or witnessed my journey.

Those conversations remind me that creativity is contagious.

Maybe that's part of why art matters so much to me.

The other part is that it brings color into the world.

Not literally, although sometimes that too.

It feels like so much around us has become muted. Safe. Predictable.

Art does the opposite.

It invites curiosity. It encourages people to look a little closer, ask questions, and see things differently.

That's something I've always loved about it.

At the end of the day, art has always been the answer to a question I was asked as a kid:

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

An artist.

Not because it's what I do.

Because it's who I am.

I paint because I was made to paint.

And after all these years, I still can't imagine a life without it.