As National Arts and Humanities Month rolls around in October, I am reminded of a time in elementary school, when a box to fill in on my assigned all-about-me poster asked, “What is your greatest wish?” I wrote that I wanted to be better at art. I admired my classmates for whom the muses seemed to have gifted with artistic talent, but, to my dismay, they had bestowed no such present upon me. My hands did not know how to draw the graceful lines others could sketch with such ease. My brushstrokes did not lay down the paint the way I wanted. If one of my projects from art class turned out well, I told myself it was a fluke. I was bad at art, I thought, and I saw little hope for improvement. Why even bother trying?

Later, as middle school transitioned into high school and the amount of time spent sitting bored in class increased, I began to doodle. Perhaps, I realized, I couldn’t make any jaw-dropping masterpiece, but I could sketch little designs and flowers. Whimsical illustrations began to appear in the margins of my worksheets and notebooks, and then those doodles morphed into larger projects. More recently, I have begun trying out other subjects—mandalas, eyes, mountains, leaves, etc. True, my style still favors the doodly and cartoonish, but the real victory lies more in the sense of confidence and enjoyment I have gained, rather than any improvement in the quality of my work. I can’t remember a time since I was little and filling notebooks with grinning stick figures when drawing made me this happy and refreshed.

I also can’t remember a time before now when anyone besides my close family has told me I have artistic talent. As a reminder, I don’t. Anyone who thinks she can’t make art as “good” as mine is like a high schooler complaining that she will never reach the academic level of a college student; the feat is definitely possible, but requires a little time and some hard work.

Whatever facet of the arts you might be interested in, but afraid to experiment with, I have a challenge for you. As we move into National Arts and Humanities Month this October, don’t be afraid to try something new. Learn, dabble and grow for the satisfaction of exploration, and you might discover a new side of yourself.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Emily Dexter at [email protected].