Rachel Eskandari - Watercolor Botanical Garden: A Modern Approach to Painting Bold Flowers, Plants, and Cacti

Color has been a part of my life ever since the day I found myself dressing in monochromatic colors almost every day of my young life. I still remember my crocheted yellow shirt adorned with sunflowers, worn with my yellow shorts and my yellow butterfly clip to embellish my short black hair. You could always find me spending my summers creating and playing with colors; doing everything from building troll doll houses, to designing my own Barbie clothing, to filling in coloring books, to doing paint by numbers. You name it I tried it. From a young age I was encouraged to explore my imagination. I owe a lot of that to my parents who never stifled my creative expression. For example, my mom let me drag my stuffed dog down the sidewalk because I had made him a leash and I wanted to walk him. This is the type of non-stifling moment I am especially grateful for.

Lauren Peachie

I remember watching my oldest sister paint art assignments for her high school and college classes. Some days she let me paint in her room on her French easel, which I thought was the coolest thing ever. I vividly recall my first painting session because it is the day I began thinking, I want to paint all the time and I am actually kind of good at it. After that, all I wanted to do was draw and paint. That first painting, which was done in acrylics, was of a ballerina Id copied from a clipping I had cut out of a Teen Vogue magazine.

That day helped forge more of my path. I was certain I wanted to make art, but I was not sure how it was going to happen. There was no push back received when I told my parents I wanted to major in art. There were questions but no heavy conversations of concern or disapproval. I think having that support is rare for the major I chose so I am very grateful, especially since my dad provided my financial backing for college.

Having people who believe in you is helpful, but it is not required for you to fulfill your ambitions. If you have minimal support in following the artists path, try to avoid negative conversations. You are worth taking a chance on, so you need to believe in yourself. There are many ways to connect with other artists where you can be part of a supportive community of people who have experienced similar struggles and have similar aspirations. Your aspirations to be an artist need not simply be a dream: Earning a living as an artist is attainable but you have to work for it.

Lauren Peachie

In college, I majored in painting because I have always loved the medium from early on. I also love how accessible and physical the medium is. You may be wondering if I was ever nervous about picking a major that seemed like it had no career opportunities. My honest answer is not really. Choosing to major in art was one of the rare times in my life when I felt I was living in the moment and I was truly enjoying my artist journey. The only way I was able to mentally get to that place was because I knew deep down I did not want to be doing anything else. It was a conviction I could not deny.

Here is a short back story that I hope you can either relate to or that will help you better understand an artists mind. I have four siblings and they are all extremely intelligent. They all excelled in schoolwork, which seemed almost effortless for them. I, on the other hand, struggled in school. I felt like I had to work 10 times as hard to even get close to my siblings levels of accomplishment. I was a good student but it took a lot of effort. You know that nervous feeling you would get when the teacher would randomly call on you in class to answer a question that you didnt know? That feeling was a constant for me. I didnt understand it because although I studied, I could not retain the information. The reason school was such a challenge for me did not hit me until about a year ago. As artists, our thinking processes are different from others and we excel in a different area. I finally understand this and am proud of it rather than looking at myself as being not as capable. I want you to understand that being book smart does not determine your potential. If you have an artists brain, be proud of it because you are capable and you see the world in a different way. I now appreciate this difference more than ever.