Being in Tune With Who You Are

1. There are many things that form a person into who they are. Some people are more in tune with these aspects of themselves and how they've come to make them into a person, and other people are still figuring out. I feel that I'm a person who is really in touch with myself, and this derives from knowing where I came from and who I want to be.

I was raised in a tiny house without much alone time, seeing that I shared a room with my little sister my whole life. I've always liked having a lot of friends and talking to new people. Growing up I was one of maybe ten white kids in all of my classes. I come from Toledo which is predominately African American. I have an Appalachian American background myself, and this comes from my dad’s side of the family. My dad died when I was almost nine so I never knew much of his side of the family. The death of my father from cancer at such a young age helped form me into the person I am. Even though this is a bad experience that I was unfortunate to encounter, I don’t regret it because it is truly something that formed me into who I am. My grandmother was also a very big factor in what lead to my views and goals in life. She was a painter and drawer until she started going blind when I was about three. After my father died, I would spend a lot of time with my grandmother after school. During this time, she would try to teach my little sister and I tricks of the artist trade. At the time I thought it was stupid, but I remember those things now and they’ve helped me to become a better artist. About four years after my father passed away, my grandmother passed away also. This wasn’t something I was new to but it was still hard and it’s another one of those things that I don’t necessarily regret because it’s helped form me into the person I am today.

I’m a very hands-on type of person. I like interacting and I love being with people. I’m not the type of person that requires very much alone time, I’d much rather be with a group of people. This may be due to the fact that I never really had alone time growing up because I shared a room with my sister. My artistic and creative side obviously comes from my grandmother and her exposing me at a young age. I have big goals for myself that I know I’ll push through with the right dedication. This comes from my mother, her pigheadedness, and the fact that she always encouraged me that I can do anything I set my mind to. With these good influences and my diverse background I hope that one day, all of my dreams will come true. (: