There was a time between freshman and sophomore year when I stopped filling up my sketchbooks. I could not stand to fill it with things that were not high quality or a finished prod- uct. Failure seemed inevitable, so I thought, “why not cut it off at the source?”

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I soon found myself falling behind in my artistic skills, missing the quick messy doodles, the fun of trusting the process and getting an original product. Watching YouTube videos of sketchbook tours made me jealous, but I realized the only thing holding me back from creating the same thing was my fear of messing up. I wanted to be better at art, and the only way to do that was to continue failing; which now I understand is just as natural a part of the process as art itself.

It will be rough at the beginning, but you’ll learn to love seeing yourself progress and enjoy the journey in bad art. This year I am in AP Art, and even though the main hope for the end of the class is 10 finished, perfect pieces, I have learned through trial and error that this is not attainable, but that is okay. For the first time in my life, I have completed my very own sketchbook, mistakes and all. It took awhile but it paid off. Although I am focused on speaking about art, this mentality should apply to all areas of life. Practice really does make perfect, or at least, better work, and failure should not be the end.