I have always liked art: drawing, painting and using my imagination. When I was a child, there was a place called "The house of the imagination" in the town where I am from, where children could go and create whatever we wanted to. We could draw, paint, and make handcrafts with all sorts of things including recycled materials. I think this was my favorite place in the community. I had fun creating what I was dreaming. We could also sell our work to the tourists and make money by selling our work. I really enjoyed those days.

As I grew up, I continued drawing, but I wasn't really focused on it. It was more of a hobby. Then, in 2013, when I was in grade 10, there was an art contest at the school and I was invited to participate. I wasn't sure at first because I was not studying art at school. I completed the drawing after school. When the results of the contest came out, I was surprised to see that I got third place in the entire state. I was really happy about it and I switched one of my classes to take art. Since that moment, I started taking art more seriously and not just as a hobby. In 2014, in another art contests, I won two more state prizes; they were both second place.

I have worked with many different mediums including oil, acrylic, charcoal, colored pencil, ink, watercolor pencils, and watercolor. Watercolor is my favorite because it’s the first medium I learned to use. I also love how the water drips on the paper unpredictably.

Art is a clever way to give people a message, represent your culture, or represent who you are. Recently, I completed two murals and collaborated in 3 other murals to make people aware of the local flora and fauna. Our goal was to encourage people to care for the environment in my village. In the 2015- 2016 school term, I taught Art for one semester in the secondary school where I am from. My art teacher invited me to be the instructor, and I was happy for the opportunity.

I love art because I can translate my dreams onto paper and represent who I am in a subtle way. It’s a way to express myself and represent my feelings. When I am sad or mad it helps me regain control of myself. On the other hand, when I am happy, I can draw my happiness and remember it when I am not in a good mood.