Growing up, creating art was a big part of my life. Our front closet was never filled with coats, but rather shelves and shelves of art supplies. My mom worked at camp as an art instructor. Many of my cousins and uncles painted as well. My family culture of creativity is why I began to get into art. I used to watch my sister for hours admiring her drawing. She was one of my biggest inspirations. At first, I would mimic her style and copy her art, but I soon was able to develop my own style and fell in love with the act of creating. Art is the one thing that calms me down in a time of distress. Whether it's looking at art, watching others make art in their own individual style, or creating art myself, it puts my mind at ease. I find that I tend to prefer painting with acrylics and drawing with charcoal or pencils. I usually draw scenery and faces because I love the tiny details within the piece. Henri Matisse has recently become a huge influence on my artwork. I admire his expressiveness and have tried to incorporate that into my more recent acrylic work. I was first drawn to him because his artwork was so incredibly different from my own. He has made me realize that sometimes imperfect pieces are beautiful.