Before I even considered becoming a photography major, or got into photography, I used to draw animals. I would find pictures of animals that I was interested in and would try to replicate that picture. My first few drawings were just the heads of the animals that I picked. Then as I got a little older I tried to draw more of the body so they didn’t just look like floating heads.

During this time of my life, I never had any type of drawing class and not a lot of art classes. So I tried to teach myself how to draw something that I was looking at. I remember that my first few drawings took me awhile. I kept drawing and then erasing every little thing that I did because I wanted it to be perfect. I made sure to at least try and capture every little detail in my drawings, but I most likely didn’t at that age.

After I drew these drawings, I realized that I actually have some form of artistic talent. That is when I began to really get into art. I took as many art classes as I could in high school. These classes eventually led me to a photography class my sophomore year. This class was a beginner class that dealt with film, which is one of the coolest ways to photograph a subject. After that class is when I realized that photography was my true calling.

Though what I like to photograph is what I liked to draw before my photography days. Even though I’ve changed mediums, I still every single photograph to be perfect, but rarely does perfection happen in art. A piece of art that isn’t perfect is what makes it more appealing and beautiful than a perfect piece.

So if I were never to have picked up a pencil and began to draw animals, I think my chances of choosing to be an art major would have been lower. Those drawings helped my see that, even though it may have been little, I had some form of artistic talent and are now hanging on the wall in my room!