Art from the Heart

Guest Post - Corinne Romano

When growing up each of us develop our own coping skills for life.  Sometimes coping skills can come from exercise, writing, or talking it out; however for me personally I found my bliss in art.

For as long as I can remember I draw to make myself happy.  My go to emotional stabilizer is art, when I’m stressed, depressed or even ecstatic, I create.  From day one my parents have encouraged my overactive imagination.  Art has gotten me through my toughest trials of life.

A little more than a year ago I tore my ACL and was told I wouldn’t be able to move for at least two months, and walking/running would take at least six.  While I was bed ridden I decided to do anything I could to help make progress.

So I set myself up with sketchbooks, pens and my best jewelry making equipment.  In that time, I created some of the most original and beautiful pieces of jewelry I could imagine.  After building up a collection of my pieces I had worked clear through my boredom and pain.  I was off my pain medications from surgery within three days, and because I could do my physical therapy while working I had the ability to walk in under a month.  My final recovery time took me only five months.  Doctors were amazed at my more than speedy recovery.  I’ve concluded that if I’m not working I’m unhappy.

A few months later I had my first relationship.  Things were more than amazing for most of our time together.  During my happiest days I had worked on my AP studio portfolio.  Because I was so happy to be working and to have a companion, I poured more of myself into that project than I ever thought I would.

I ended up getting a very high grade on my final portfolio.  However, when we did eventually break up I was a mess.  When I didn’t want to talk, eat or even breathe I turned back to my drawing boards.  During my time of grief I worked through it creating outlandish creatures and worlds that lay hidden deep inside my imagination.  Emotionally that was one of the hardest times of my life.  I had receded into myself and the only signs of life I showed was my production of art.  When I finally came out of it I had monstrous creations with epic detailing and character backgrounds to match.

However, moving on from my issues, making art is only half the joy.  While making a picture or sculpture is rewarding, the real joy is seeing other people react to my art.  There’s nothing more exciting than watching people’s face light up when they see my pictures.  They may laugh at my comics or just be amazed at my natural talent.

People ask me all the time how I get so good at art.  The truth is, I just practice all the time.  Literally every second of the day I’m imagining new things, creatures, characters, worlds, I just breathe art.  Recently my imagination has taken my art to the next level.  Now when I stare idly out into space my brain draws on blank walls.  I can see the images in my head as if they were actually painted on the walls.  The way I see it its almost like having superpowers.

So if you’re an aimless doodler, or a wide-eyed dreamer, art is a tool we can all use to make our lives better.  Just getting things out on a page can be the difference between bottling up stress or grief, and releasing your demons so you can move on with your life.  And there is no greater gift than finding someone that can see what you feel behind the artwork.  For me, that feeling is freedom.