Vibrant Akihabara, pastel
David Lin
York School | Senior
In elementary school, my friends and I were infatuated with characters from the video games we played. I would spend recess and math class drawing our favorite Minecraft and Pokemon for all of us to use as folder covers. As simple as it was, this was the moment that sparked my passion for drawing.
The reason why I fell in love with drawing was the duality of its simplicity and complexity. Realistically, anyone could draw. All one needs is a sheet of paper and a pencil. Yet there are so many possibilities of things to draw as well as several techniques to learn.
Like many skills, it is easy to begin but takes thousands of hours to master. I became enamored with the creative freedom and staggeringly tall skill ceiling that drawing offered. In a sense, drawing serves as a constant test of my capabilities as well as a constant reminder of the improvement that I’ve made over the years.
I also fell in love with an aspect I discovered during my elementary years: the ability to share my art with others. The beauty of sharing my drawings was to see people’s smiles as well as the ability to express my interests with others. Seeing my self-improvement was one thing, but watching others enjoy my drawings gave me a sense of appreciation within my community.
Recently, I’ve been volunteering my time to help translate Japanese comics to English by redrawing areas where the text is hard to remove. I also co-founded the Drawing Club at my school with a friend. I’ve received appreciation from all these acts, and this along with my self-drive will push me to become the artist that I aspire to be.