For most of us, it all started with some finger paint and a few pieces of paper. We were excited about our new fresh boxes of Crayola crayons and coloring books, and the more we practiced, the better at staying inside of the lines we were.

Little did we know, we were all deeply connected to art one way or another. Being creative helped shape what we found to be “beautiful”, what we found to interest us, and in some cases, helped define what kind of person we are today.

Although college, jobs, and social lives make lives extremely busy, who says being a little kid has to end?

As Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Whether they’re paintings, the architecture of buildings we like to admire, or even the crazy outfits we all like to put together, art is everywhere, even when we don’t always sit back and notice it.

By creating art or even learning how to appreciate it, we are able to open a door to a completely new world in our imaginations, and that’s incredibly important to grow as a person.

As high school students, we have a lot of stress put onto us, and sometimes we don’t always know how to handle certain situations.

However, by showing self-expression within a piece of art, whether it is a painting or a song, we can figure out things about ourselves that we’ve never realized before. We need this in our lives when we aren’t having the best day and on days that are better than usual, and people don’t always realize how much of a positive impact it can really have on someone’s life.

Art always is testing your patience, as well. It can show the strengths you have and the weaknesses you have. Once people realize these things about themselves, it makes growing as an individual a lot easier.

Never hide your creative side; there are more benefits to it than you think.