Hi everyone! My name is Brittany Hanks, and I am a Professional Artist and Illustrator. Lisa has been kind enough to ask me to talk a little bit about what Art means to me.

When I was growing up, like many kids I suffered from depression and social anxiety. I always drew and painted, but one day I asked my parents if they thought I could do it as a career, and they said yes. For me, this was in retrospect, a defining point in my life and my career. From that day on, I identified myself as an artist, and pushed myself into my craft. Art has been more than a hobby, it has been a source of discovery for many lessons in life. Pushing myself to get better at something proved to me that I possesed the ability to improve the things I didn’t like about my life. Like anything, trying to better yourself is a struggle, but the hard work gives way to victories and gratification.

I think one of the reasons why art is so important is that it is a true creation. Any form of art, not just visual art. When you start a new drawing or painting, or dance piece, or novel, you are starting on a new slate. You choose to create and inhabit this new space with whatever you wish. For me, the act of creation, bringing something new out of nothing, is something truly beautiful in life. No matter what you’re discipline, or even if you think you don’t have a specific one, the choice’s you make and what you inhabit your world with are up to you, and it is beautiful. And it is Art.

Www.etsy.com/shop/pajamasquid.

Twitter @Brittanyhanks