“I was born into a world of art. I always thought that in life, you breathe, you eat, you go to sleep and you draw.” – Paloma Picasso

 

Like the daughter of the famous cubist artist, Pablo Picasso, I also grew up breathing in the smells of Prisma colored pencils and fresh, new drawing pads. Though my dad is not a revolutionary fine artist, he is a passionate architect. Since day one, my idea of fun was organizing my dad’s art supplies in the order of the rainbow, drawing “works of art” on printer paper, and attending art museums in every city we traveled.

 

Growing up, I never imagined making a career out of art. It simply didn’t feel tangible. I dreamed of being a rock star, a chemist, and then a doctor. Creating art seemed like a hobby to my elementary mind, not something I could pursue as a career.  

 

That was until my whole world flipped upside-down in August of 2006 when I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After that day, I utilized art as a desperate need to communicate my unspeakable feelings, to serve as an outlet of pent up anger and distress. From that moment on, I voiced myself through brush and canvas, pencil and paper. I painted and drew when I needed to escape the present.

 

Through my past I learned about strength, determination, and how this life is truly the only one you are given. With my one life, I will not take the easy way out. I will follow my dreams and embark on the career that I love — fashion. At the end of the day, the hard trials and sleepless nights will only make my successes that much sweeter.

 

Here I am now, living, a childhood cancer survivor, with a BFA in Fashion Design and a minor in Accessory Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), a Master's degree in Fashion Marketing with a focus in start-ups from Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy, and incomparable work experience from the trailblazing fashion brand Dolls Kill. From this point on I will use my talent, vision, and history to change the world with a graphite pencil and a needle.