Personal Narrative: Art And Intellectual Analysis

Nearing the end of an entire day of painting, I took a step back to look at the 578 square feet of the side of the building that was being transformed from an outlined sketch to an enormous painted scene. My thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. It wasn’t unusual for people to walk up and begin inquiring about the mural we were painting. I turned around to see an older man, hunched over his cane. He surveyed some of the people we were painting on the mural, and then nodded at me with some form of approval, to let me know that I was doing a good job.

This wasn’t the first mural I had worked on. Beginning high school, I worked with a group of students at Totts Gap Arts Institute, a community arts program, to create a historically accurate mural of the town during its centennial. We researched the community as it was in 1912, studied archived photos and spoke with historians. Then we collaborated on a sketch, scaled it to size onto a 756 square

I was no longer working on art projects for no particular reason. I was creating art with a clear purpose that could benefit others. Murals opened my eyes and led me to crave a future in visual media. I went on to help film and interview the people and families depicted in the mural, editing the information into a documentary so their stories could be shared. In school I took video production, photography and graphic design classes. I also took classes where I learned more about creative writing and screenwriting. I applied what I learned to other projects at Totts Gap Art Institute, like working as a production assistant on the independent film “My Best Day,” which earned a spot at the Sundance Film Festival. I even worked on another local mural about the Appalachian Trail. Additionally, through my high school’s chapter of the Technology Student Association, I worked on videos, creative writing prompts, and informational