She is an aspiring artist with an eye for creations that will make you pause. She is a local high school senior who has been heavily involved in the fine arts. She is a future member of the wolf pack. What has made Aubrey Knier who she is today?

"[My] dream was the little girl's cliché," she laughs. "It's so cliché, but its the truth."

Sitting down with Aubrey was enlightening. I attended high school with her, but this year, I have been looking at her developing portfolio and artistic skill from afar. She is personable and passionate, especially when speaking about her work.

"I took a special interest in the art classes in preschool." Knier began like most children — a kid who loved to paint. But as time went on, it became a realization that this childhood dream had true potential to become an adult reality.

Now, Aubrey has been accepted to North Carolina State University's Art + Design College — one of 27 admitted individuals from the starting pool of more than 200 applicants. "I really saw art as a hobby, something to do alongside a true career," she shrugs and sips her coffee, "You know, because everyone always says, 'Art? What are you gonna do with that?' I didn't really have any intent on making it my career."

Knier's passion for art has since changed that original thought; she says that she plans on accepting NCSU's offer and will be joining the program this upcoming fall semester. It is this same passion that Knier says helps her see the world around her a little differently. "I think when you're an artist, you already have a different point of view. Like people who are really good at math, they may look around and see everything exactly as it is meant to be, while artists ... artists see that everything is colorful, instead of just black and white."

As a creator, Knier is motivated by her family and friends, as well as the world around and her passion itself. "If I'm painting something that I'm passionate about, the message affects the work," she finishes, nodding in finality. "Each piece I create is different, each one has a different message." When asked what inspires her, rather than who, Knier answers, "Again, it sounds cliché, but the world — the world inspires me; its just shown in different ways throughout each piece."

Figuring that, at times, artists must feel vulnerable putting their work on display, I asked Knier how she has felt about showing her pieces to her audiences. "I feel most vulnerable about the more thought-provoking ones," she says. "My concentration is focused on controversial topics and those make you more ... afraid of offending someone. You know that works will affect your audience in different ways, but you never want to offend."

The concentration mentioned above is a work in progress about "human compassion in what some would call rough circumstances." It is a part of a project for Knier's AP Studio Art class that she will be receiving credit for at the Art + Design school, as well. When asked why she chose something like human compassion as a topic, Knier answers, "I wanted to do something that sent a message. When your art can do that, [I think] it is what sets you apart from others, and as an artist that is really important to me." Knier's concentration has helped make her a bigger person and artist, while opening her eyes to world views on troubling situations. "It has strengthened me as an artist because this is the first time I've really made big statements with my art," she states. "Even just researching what I should paint about and what medium I should use and what style or technique — it really, it really makes me think about what I'm trying to portray. You know the saying, 'If you can't find a nice person, be a nice person?' I'm trying to incorporate that into each piece I make."

The most recent piece from Knier's concentration, "Hugs to End Racism".

The last question I had for Knier is one that everyone has been asking for years — what makes art important?

"It's cliché but yes, it makes you think. There's always that question, 'What makes art, art?' and there are people who'll say, 'Oh someone just splattered paint on a canvas. Why can't I do that?' To me, it doesn't have to be conventional; if something makes you think, makes you stand there in front of it and study it and really think about what it is trying to say, I think that's art. The point of art is to make the audience think and make a statement, and if a piece does that then it's important art." Pausing for a minute, Knier imparts these words as a closing, "There really is no set definition of art, everyone defines it in their own way and its open to different opinions and interpretations ... and that's the beauty of it."

To see more of Aubrey Knier's work, you can click the link below to view her online portfolio via Behance.

http://www.behance.net/aubreyknierart