I was born and raised just around the corner of La Plata, Charles County Maryland, in a little city called Welcome. Yes, yes it is called Welcome. I graduated from Maurice J. McDonough highschool in 2011 as the most artistic, the National Art Honor Society President, and an Principal's Honor Student. I was an active and happy kid in the highschool days. I love art, most particularly painting with colors of all sorts. I'm thinking about going into color theory if I ever go for a PhD. You would catch me helping all my fellow students with their paintings in my classes and in other classes as well. I would even have special days where I would make my own activities for a class. My teachers loved it. I relished in a canvas. I also contributed to sketch journals and workshops for those who decided to make their work of art simply their sketchbook alone.
When I wasn't painting, drawing, or working on projects I was riding my horse. I have been riding since the age of 10, and own a thoroughbred gelding who came off the racetrack. Riding horses has definitely inspired most of my work, almost too a complaint by my friends (too many horses!!) but I believe the horse is a wonderful, spiritual animal that I could paint in many different ways to conceive my emotions and how I feel about life. Horses have also taught me some of the more painful things-and how to get through them. Imagine falling off an 8 foot tall animal at high speeds face first into gravel.... More than once. As terrifying as this sounds, it has given me power over my fears and taught me that I can do anything if I try hard enough.
When I was three years old I was diagnosed with Juvenile (Type I) Diabetes. This is an important thing to me, that everyone knows, this is what I deal with every day of my life. I once gave myself at least 5 shots a day, 5 needle pricks to my fingers, and one other separate shot that would make my legs swell and my stomach bruise from the amount of insulin I had to force in my body. I would have Diabetic seizures in my sleep from either simple mistakes in the amount of insulin I had, having the wrong type of insulin, or just from a freak dream in the night. Now I have an insulin Pump, and have been hospitalized once from it's failure.
Believe it or not, Diabetes does not affect my art as much as people would think, nor does it affect my life very harshly. I wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, work out, the same way other people would. I just have an extra pound to carry along me 24/7, and an extra realization of the nutrition in my body. Like everyone should be doing, I look at the nutrition facts of everything I eat. I count my carbs and balance with healthy living. Everyone should do this. I do not even regret my disease (though if there is a cure I'll be one of the first in line!) I use it to my advantage.
