Art was once a foundational part of my life. I am surrounded by paintings and drawings, both created by myself and those that I love. They remind me that I can create and express myself in an environment that gives me little time to do that. Art has expanded my ability to understand the world while also giving me an escape from it. All people should, if they can, learn to create, especially those of us in STEM.Â
I’ve had a long art career, with my job aspirations bouncing between an animator, a scientific illustrator, or a character designer. My application to become a Microbiologist slowly settled in my mind, and all artistic inspirations quickly escaped me. I didn’t notice it at first, as my mind was often preoccupied with my next class, labs, and readings to catch up on. Doodles faded from the side of my notebook pages, and sketchbooks remained empty. It wasn’t until I was faced with a choice between a final project revolving around art analysis and a research paper that I realized how much art had faded from my life. Despite being surrounded by art of my creation, my hand became unfamiliar with the motions that created it. Pencils became a tool to take notes and nothing else. As I tried to reenter the artistic world, I found myself so far behind what I knew I was previously able to do.Â
This mental disconnect between what I knew I could do and what I produced weighed on me. I felt trapped by myself, with my only remaining ability being to write. That’s exactly how I ended up writing this article, as my hands, although trapped by the lack of practice to draw, never became unfamiliar with a keyboard. Writing gives me a place to express myself and to show others what is important to me outside of school. It became a step towards what I wanted to do again: paint, draw, and encourage those around me. Art will never become foreign to me, and neither should it for you. What I ask of the students around me, whom I see coming out of study rooms after working for 9 hours straight, and those with a similar story to me, is to create.
Work to make something you are proud of, and open your mind up, even just for a second. Rediscover your passions and what makes you a person outside of academics. With many of us facing a rigorous workload, I know this task is daunting. However, I want you to remember that your contributions to this world do not have to be only within the field you are pursuing currently, and the pressure always to be the best within the field is not a sustainable way to live. Create with your friends and share memories with them, ones that you will be able to look back on years from now, that stand out from the monotony of your daily life. Create something for yourself, and give yourself a break. Learn to understand yourself outside of your daily workflow, and create something that makes you proud.