My Name Is Taylor Nicewaner.
I am a 23 year old from Springfield, Ohio. And to start off, I guess I would attempt to call myself an artist. I never wanted to admit it for the longest of times that "Art" is something that could actually make me happy. I'd like to think that it's in my blood though, to be honest. And I'd like to think I have my grandfather Dallas Nicewaner to thank for that.
I was too young to appreciate the moments I had with him. However my most vivid memory was when he would always draw me these little characters out of simple shapes and tell me, "There are no mistakes in art." because I'd always sit there and say "I messed up!" whilst rubbing away the surface of the paper with an eraser. Whenever I went over to his house I'd always see these paintings and pen portraits hanging all over the house. Of course I didn't think much about that back then, but when I would ask my Dad who drew them he'd say "Your Grandpa!". The whole family knew my grandfather was the artist in the family. I think that is also why "Art" is so important to me now besides it being a whole lot of fun, because it will always be one way I can connect and relate to my grandpa the way I never did. The way I never knew him. Kind of like an "In Memory" sort of thing.
From what I have learned "Art" is something that can be anything by the person who is creating it. Which is why I have been using it in parenthesis, because there is no right or wrong way to create "Art" in my opinion. There are no mistakes. Now you can spill and entire bucket of paint on your picture and then you have a problem, a mess actually. But when you think you made a mistake its actually a whole new opening and outlook to change what you have. And I believe that is how you determine pure freedom in the word "Art".
Though deep down my Grandfather was one of my biggest inspirations, he isn't the only one. I have several inspirations. My friend Sam Evans. Who continues to pick up where he left off in the 3D modeling field. He has such an amazing outlook on art and how things are created. His determination to continue to better not only his skills but himself as a person. My friend Dane Skrlac, whom has stuck by my side with ample amounts of continuous support and just being there as my best friend who was always there to pick me up when I fell. We had many, many classes with one another through out middle school and high school where we were able to be ourselves and draw monsters and comics and be able to share the creativity in both our minds back when all we had to worry about was dinner and when we were gonna hang out to play Xbox and eat Combos. If I ever have the chance to professionally collab with him in the future I would in a heartbeat. Video games are HUGE in the inspiration field. I worked for the company Gamestop for 4 year and have seen A LOT of games. And every game is different, besides Call Of Duty of course. But games such as the Bioshock series, Resident Evil, Halo, Alan Wake, and Dead Space. Movies, and especially the t.v. series Supernatural. Supernatural has really broken the veil of realism and creatures and mythical lore and has taken it to a whole new inspirational level.
Artists in general, are inspirational. Seeing as how all artists have a different mind set of imagination and mental imagery of what they want to create as art. Thats purely phenomenal. That what makes art so amazing is the unimaginable uniqueness that one brings to it.
However I believe the biggest, which is probably an obvious one at that too, is Alex Pardee. He is the most inspirational person and he is unbelievably talented in what he does. His imagination and personality are clearly portrayed into his paintings and work. It brings life to everything he does, which is what I think separates him from other artists. Ever since I first saw his artwork and I recreated some pieces in high school that he has done. That is when I realized how much respect I had for the man. He has completely opened my mind to what is freedom in "Art" I truly look up to that man, and will continue to follow his work.
I thought I had given up "Art" after I got out of High School. I worked a lot and just never found the time or motivation to pick up a pencil and start going at it. My Mom loved everything I ever did in High School. And that was a nice feeling to have. It kept me together because she was always so excited to see what I did next. So when I moved out I gave her my self portrait because that was her favorite. So remember mom, I love you. You are honestly the greatest person ever, and you are the reason I am who I am today. Any way, my Mom would always show pictures I drew while in school to people she worked with, and they would always ask "Is he going to school for art?" The answer was always "Nope!". And that is because, though I do believe and understand the reasonings behind higher education, "Art" isn't one of them. To me "Art" isn't something you can be taught. You can be introduced to the notion of it and because there are no mistakes in "Art" It is freedom of expression and imagination. It is YOU being able to create something that is or isn't real and bring it to life how you imagine it inside your brain. IN MY OPINION. You can learn new techniques and styles and the names of them, those can be taught. But the love and passion for the act itself cannot. There are also a hundred different ways you can create "Art". My little sister used to draw me a picture of our family standing in a row with our names above all our heads and that is still "Art". Its something you feel and grasp, and thats how you're taught art. Through your passion of just wanting to draw, paint or build. Being scared and going above and beyond your comfort zone to attempts new things.
So what I'm trying to say is, I feel like I'm coming out of retirement. It wasn't until recently I started getting inspired, and much more motivated to create. And that feels SO GOOD. Someone I used to know would always be like "I wish you would draw more." And I always wanted too, it was just a matter of doing it. So I did.
So I'll leave you with this little quote by my Grandpa that always makes me smile, because it is the utmost truth. And if he were still around today I would tell him, Thank you and that I love him, and that he has definitely changed my artistic outlook on life.