The clock strikes midnight, and I dip my brush into a dab of acrylic blue, adding color to my otherwise featureless sky. Dragging it across the canvas, leading down to the house on the horizon. My canvas is already filled with a sketch and now all I need to do is add color and shades to give it dimension.

Art is amazing to me. Every perception of a subject and style is unique in its own way. Never is a piece exactly like another when hand-painted and drawn. When looking at a bowl of fruit, for instance, you could create a copy of what you see before you as perfect as possible, or you could tweak the image. As an artist, you have the ability to make anything happen if you can both imagine it and execute it.

Out of the wide array of genres and styles to paint and create, be it realism, classical, pop art, etc., I myself have always been fond of abstract. With the very definition being "existing in thought or as an idea, but not having a physical or concrete existence," the style of the abstract can be left to the imagination and has no true form. With every artist's interpretation of the world before them but without structure or defining qualities, everyone piece is a new thought. Abstract pieces often make people look deeper into the color scheme or the elements provided, to make some sort of sense out of a painting. With everyone's opinion being different abstract pieces always keep people guessing.

In my own personal experience, I first started art class my junior year. I was always interested in drawing or doodling, but I chose the chorus instead and stuck with it from sixth grade to sophomore year. I wasn't good at the time with anything really, so when I turned in my homework for Art 1, I just marked 'abstract' and my teacher liked it. I liked it, too, so she helped me expand my mind and really start creating more thought-provoking pieces. I first started taking the real picture, but changing the colors. Then I started getting boxier, and then I started getting more colorful, and then I kind of just stopped making the real picture and just went crazy with color. Accepted into AP my senior year because of my work habit, I developed my skill over the summer and came in with pieces ready. I was very prolific and actually turned my dad's basement into my studio, from ideas I wrote down in my phone.

But in mid-November, I started to feel depressed and refused to acknowledge it. It got worse over time and as I sunk into a deep depression and suicidal thoughts haunted my mind. I used to not be okay with talking about my emotions and turned to abstract art as a coping mechanism. The best part was that I was often praised and felt validated in my class and by my teacher when I presented my pieces. Along with that motivation and praise, I was able to begin to feel okay again.

Painting is a healthy was to express your feelings and calm yourself when times are rough. You get to enjoy your finished product and have pride in your commitment to your creative endeavor. Anyone can be an artist, and the joy is universal. I will always love to create, and I invite you to do the same.