Art and Community Connection

As a child, I was very athletic. I remember myself playing soccer and joining a cheer team in the same season because I loved both, and couldn’t choose between them. On Saturdays, I would be cheering for my small town’s football team, all while keeping an eye on the time. During the last quarter of the football games, I’d have to rush to change into my soccer uniform, and my parents would take me directly to my soccer matches. I loved soccer. Maybe just a bit more than cheer. Everyone around me; my family, coaches, and people I didn’t even know, said they thought I would become a professional soccer player one day. That’s what I wanted. I wanted to continue to play soccer, become a professional, and play until I couldn’t anymore.

Unfortunately, I had to stop playing soccer. No, not because I became a professional and accomplished my dream. I had to stop my life passion because I was diagnosed with cancer; at eight years old. While I was devastated that I would never be able to play soccer again, I have to thank my journey and my battle fighting cancer. If it weren’t for my sudden change in life, I wouldn’t have found my new passion. Art.

After being diagnosed with cancer, I spent many years in and out of a children’s hospital. While it was never the best experience, the one thing I looked forward to while in the hospital was the chance to create something new. The hospital I frequented had rooms on each floor that kids like myself could visit to play board games, video games, watch movies, read, paint, or draw. I ALWAYS chose to paint or draw. Daily, I would make my way into what I called, “The Room of Fun”, excited about creating something new to hang in my hospital room. By the end of my hospital stays, my room wouldn’t look remotely like a hospital room. That was my goal; to make my hospital room feel like home.

Thirteen years later, I’m cancer-free and my passion is still art. I like pretty much all art, but my favorite forms are digital art, sketching, and poetry. I owe a lot to the children’s hospital I spent most of my childhood growing up in. Without their support and encouragement to create, I have no doubt I wouldn’t be as passionate about art as I am today.

My town is fairly small. Well… When I tell people my town is small, and they find out the population, they usually laugh. I guess I should rephrase it...

For someone who’s originally from the most popular city in Nevada, my current town is fairly small. Our population is around 52,000 people. Growing up in a small town has been amazing. I’ve built a connection with the community and it kind of feels like one big family. The community has supported me throughout my life journey, raising funds for my family when I was fighting cancer, and continuously offering support; even after my recent college graduation. I want to do all I can to give back to them.

As I’ve continued my passion for art, I’ve noticed that it’s been quite difficult to get my work noticed within the community. This struggle to get my work noticed had me thinking;

“If I’m struggling this much to get my art seen by the community, there certainly has to be other artists and creatives within the community that are struggling as well.”

That’s when it hit me.

I want to build a community of artists and creatives of all sorts within my small town’s community. Building a community of like-minded people would give artists and creatives within my city a place to go; to connect, ask questions, answer questions, work together, and learn something new.

Not only do I want to build this community of local artists and creatives, but I want to spread all of their work and pieces of art into our small-town community as well. Creating a magazine filled with works from local artists and creatives, and distributing it to the community will not only allow for the artist’s works to be seen, but it will give my small town an appreciation of the beautiful works of art that locals have been creating.

A membership platform would be an ideal place for all artists and creatives within my city to connect, learn, and create together. Not only would this offer a place for like-minded individuals in my community to escape to, but it would also provide the boost needed to create my magazine.

I would use the membership money to begin the process of creating my magazine that aims to connect artists with the community. My long-term goal is for this magazine to help my small town's artists and creatives get noticed. I also aim to provide scholarships and grants for artists and creatives within my community that want to continue their passions by pursuing education or by starting their own business. From firsthand experience, I know how expensive and oftentimes challenging it can be to begin higher education or to start a business from scratch.

Creating this place of connection for local artists, starting a magazine to be shared within the community, and providing scholarships and grants, would further build and spread a passion for arts and creativity within my small town. This is something that has been lacking for years.

I’m always telling others that I believe art can change the world. Showcasing art and creativity within my community could inspire many individuals, young and old to create new things.

Who knows?

This inspiration could lead to someone within my community creating something new, and even changing the world.