Why didn’t you go to art school?
Eugenia Kwon is a second-year PharmD candidate at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy.
Nowadays, between my school classrooms to my workplace, it’s become a recurring question that people ask me: “Why didn’t you go to art school?”
As I reflect on my answer with each iteration of the question, I trace the roots back to where my love for art began. What sparked my love for creativity?
A spontaneous spark
As a child, it was perhaps the freedom of expression it offered me that lured me into art. In fact, art was my favorite class because I could create anything with all the tools at my disposal. However, my first real foray into art began with a small ambition as an undergraduate student: I really wanted to improve on drawing portraits of people. I pinpoint this moment frequently because this spontaneous spark prompted me to take out an old sketchpad on the spot and start scribbling away with my mechanical pencil.
Little by little, I began to see change. With each portrait, I began to learn techniques and shortcuts I could take to elicit the features I wanted. Perhaps that was the reward of self-teaching: Figuring out novel ways to draw was like exploring uncharted territory on a blank canvas. Not only did I begin to change, but also I began to see change around me. As I began sharing my artwork on online platforms, I reconnected with old school friends who would encourage me to keep continuing my passion. I began to see how I could make change with art when I participated in fundraising for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by drawing portraits of other people.
The freedom to pursue
More often than not, I felt that my pursuit of my passion in art was a distraction from things that really mattered. However, now I realize that it is a feat that I am proud of and a quality of mine that no one can take away. Art engendered new connections, and it still continues to do so within my community.
At the end of my own reflection, I realize it was the love for the freedom to pursue art in my own time that perhaps encouraged me to follow other interests. My mother’s influence as a pharmacist brought me to the path of pharmacy school, and I remain grateful that I can pursue what I truly care about within this journey.