Opinion: Why art makes me happy

When I was younger, I would often beg my mom to take me to art class. In preschool, the most exciting part of the day was arts and crafts time.

Sewing little butterflies onto paper, coloring different animals, or drawing my interpretations of myself, it was all very enjoyable. I would come home and find random pens and scribble all over a piece of paper, showing off my artwork to my parents.

I felt sheer excitement every time I had a new creation to show my parents. Despite my random scribbles looking horrid, my parents always still encouraged me to make more. Soon enough, my mom saw my genuine love for art and began sending me to art class.

The art class exposed me to many different art forms and expanded my viewpoints on art. I still do art on my own despite having little time, I doodle on the blank edges of my homework or draw on my friends hands during endless lectures.

Art is a prime way for me to forget about the sweats of life. Life is pretty monotonous for me: school, homework, sleep, and repeat. The constant repetitions wear out my energy and robs me from experiencing freedom. Art lets me forget about reality and go into my little world of imagination. I essentially take a break from the pounds of homework and stress of school and let my ideas flow onto a piece of paper. As I slowly craft my masterpiece together, I feel a sense of fulfillment.

To put it simply, I feel positive vibes when doing art. The best thing about art is that I am not confined to a certain criteria. I can make anything in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Nothing else in the world allows you to have such freedom. This is why art is a perfect canvas for me not only to release stress but to also draw things that will never come together in real life or simply just never happens.

No matter what medium I use, whether it is water color, ink pens, or the most basic color pencils, being able to express what I have imagined in my head gives me true happiness. The feeling of pride when I finish a beautiful piece of art makes me feel proud and accomplished. I feel refreshed. A feeling I can’t really put into words, but it makes me feel like I am on top of the world.

I recently was exposed to botanical line drawing via an online class and made me fall in love with drawing flowers. Big flowers, bushy flowers, all flowers galore — I love drawing each and every single one of them. Using just a pen I can depict an entire flower garden through a black and white lens.

Even though I am not at the physically at the garden, I still experience the same pleasure and content. Art is my mental oasis where I can breathe freely. This is why art gives me happiness.