‘keep trying!’

i was invited to be the motivational guest speaker for the first grade class at couer d’alene elementary this afternoon. the current class theme is to ‘keep trying,’ that no matter how hard something may seem, people should never give up. i shared my story of being diagnosed with communication disabilities at the age of five. i had a hearing impairment and speech impediment. this forced me to repeat kindergarten and go under special tutoring until the fifth grade. my disabilities may have forced me to work harder, but i learned to channel my struggles into drawing, thus ignited my path towards art. i explained that no matter how much i struggled as a slow learner, and with the challenges of a bad economy, i decided that i would keep trying and make it work for myself. because i refused to quit, i have made it as a full time artist. my disability had also helped me understand and sympathize with the students i have, because i understand their thinking patterns. it was nice to talk about the lessons i have learned with other people. the theme of overcoming struggle and upward movement is cohesive with the theme in my current paintings, so i was happy to share.

below are the first grade, little tots!