The Unknown by Bella

The Unknown by Bella - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

My friend unknowingly triggered my curiosity for art at a very young age. Sitting and watching my friend flip through her sketchbook during our show-and-tell, I became mesmerized by the shapes, colors, and designs of her artwork. Before this moment, I had never touched the realm of art unless it was for a school project, but even then my work had no motivation behind it other than to complete it for a grade. After witnessing what I saw as “perfection”, I wanted to give it a try myself. I picked up the standard number two pencil and began to draw everything in sight.
At first, drawing was only a hobby for me. I did it when I had free time, but I never really thought much of it. I had one sketchbook and one singular pencil that I used for everything. As my life progressed, and I began to figure out my niches, art crawled to the top of my list. No longer was I using art as a filler activity, but I was incorporating it into everything I did. I would spend countless hours at home watching YouTube tutorial videos on how to improve my current art skills, how to learn new mediums, and even how to draw my audience's attention to my pieces, something younger me never would have imagined.
High School was the true peak of my art curiosity. The opportunities were endless, and I yearned to broaden my knowledge as much as possible. I took painting, drawing, sculpting, and even graphic art classes. I signed up for art competitions, most specifically YCASE, and won second place in my category of graphite. I was ecstatic. I continued to research, learn, and adapt to the art world. I even took it upon myself to visit art galleries on my vacations and talk to the owners of them. Simply hearing about others' fascination with art fueled mine.
Even though my time in high school is coming to an end, not once have I thought to stop continuing the path of art. Instead, I have decided to continue to incorporate art into my daily life by majoring in graphic design at Coastal Carolina University. At CCU, I will continue to expand on my knowledge when it comes to art, and the different skills that are needed to be successful. By developing my art skills, I will be able to pursue my intellectual curiosity on a deeper level which will allow me to reach my goal of becoming an art director. Without my intellectual curiosity flowering at such a young age, I would not have had the motivation to pursue anything in the art field. This curiosity changed my life and academic pursuits for the better, and I am more than ready to push myself to continue to expand on my art knowledge.