Personal Challenge

There was one time in my life when my beliefs and ideas were challenged as an artist. It was relatively recent being that I was in eighth grade. I had adapted a dark tone to my art and writing. It reflected on me, and the secrets that I believe everyone has. This society is too afraid of being judged, and rather follow someone else instead of being an indivisual. This occurs especially with this generation of youth.

During the middle of my eighth grade year, a teacher introduced me to the young authors competition. She had been constantly telling me that my poetry was phenomenal an enchouraged me to compete. Naturally I was excited. Ihad never been acknowledged for my writing by anyone other that family.

As soon as I arrived home, I began to work. I created my own cover design, binding and all other parts of the book from scratch. Then, I began to pour my heart and soul into words. I had written some of the best works of that time of my life. I was very near a state of ecstatic pandemonium when I turned my book in. No one could have told me anything was wrong with it. I only saw perfection.

About a week later, my literature teacher pulled me aside to deliver crushing news. My book was not even entered into the competition. According to her, and the rest of the council, my work was too "negative". I was told that it sent an anti-positive message to the readers. This also started talk among the other teachers about what was going on inside my home. I was livid and hurt by the fact that my book, which had so much energy and heart, was not even submitted. Instead, I was constantly watched and immediately judged.

For a moment, I began to think my book was not submitted because it was poorly written. I began to question my ability as a writer. Then, after a few weeks, I realized that I had breached a part of their minds that they were afraid to explore. From then on, my drawings and poems took on an even darker flair. That incident became my motivation and fuel.

I had refused to let that rejection change my artistic style or ideas. Instead, I let it be my drive. Sometimes my work would have an opposite overall theme, but even then there is something dark somewhere in the content. That experience has molded me into a stronger writer and an overall more observent person.