I inhaled sharply as I stared down at the first painting I created. It was questionably abstract and entirely deformed. The colors were not at all what I had envisioned, and the brushstrokes were scattered with no pattern, but above all that, it was made by my own hands. It is fascinating how creativity can be used in various ways, from making statements to even being a long-term psychological weapon. Nevertheless, art immortalizes the art and artist and the audience's emotions and reactions, whether good or bad. Art is appreciating the craftwork, connecting ideas to our experiences, and learning from one another. I remember what went through my mind when I was called a "creative soul" for the first time. My middle school art teacher could have been more encouraging in my silly hobby of drawing than my math teacher was. My math teacher was a huge pillar in my deep passion for art; he pointed out every detail he noticed in my drawings. Despite the singular person, I had an audience for the first time, which felt amazing. I was being seen and validated for what I plastered on paper, being validated and relatable to others. As a child, I used to make a lot of artwork based on what I liked, such as video games, cartoons, songs, and trends. Everything changed when I got an impacting suggestion. At the time, I had been a long-term follower of an artist online, and as I checked their latest update, I saw something different in their art. I later found out that they were channeling their emotions in their piece and emphasized the importance of doing something similar to digest emotions smoothly. Nothing could have prepared me for the long-lasting commitment that this habit could engulf. I am not the type of person to express myself with words. However, I have become more fluent with my hands over the years, specifically by making art. Every waking moment, I am reminded that I must create to coexist with my thoughts. The only way I can clearly yet vaguely depict said thoughts, morals, and creativeness is by making, collecting, and often overanalyzing art. My brain yearns to practice my abilities and become more agile with the individual fields of art. My hands have always ached to create; my heart jumps at making something that evokes emotion. I am obsessed with making creative pieces that I did not know were or who they may end with by the time of my disappearance. My art could be taken like a blurry mirror. My intentions, concepts, and visions behind each of my works are often hidden but recognizable. It grabs the attention of a passerby enough to make them stop and see. My visions are always indirectly plastering my statements on the media I manage, for my work encapsulates hints of what I want to voice out. Although I am not very extroverted, I am reserved. Contrasting with my personality, I enjoy it when my creativity receives attention. When looking at my work, someone can clear their crowded mind briefly. The creative aspect of my pieces is based on a mix of personal and observatory experiences. Hence, I am most creative when I feel strong emotions. For example, I made my first animation based on my adoration towards my partner. I wanted to create something more personal for our anniversary. It was as if my hands acted independently, and I began storyboarding when the idea popped into my head. Ultimately, I produced a short animation that made me see my partner cry for the first time.

Ever since I can remember, I have enjoyed creating. From awful culinary combinations, my family had to endure painfully to making a mini version of a machine that perked my interest. The feeling of satisfaction whenever I finish working on a silly project. Although some projects failed to work or almost cost me an eye, with each project I made, I learned so much about how things work and how supplies influence the final product. Consequently, I deeply resonate with and enjoy the crafting aspect of Minecraft. Crafting in this game embodies all my love and passion for my small building hobby. The thought behind each crafting recipe is intricate and well planned, for players learn a lot from the world in and outside the videogame. It is not only constructing something but also gathering, trading, and even searching for resources with the same goal for different results. The final reward of my efforts comes in small colored pixels that can mean the world to any other player. During the pandemic, I rarely got out to get materials, and everything in my house felt like using the same things repeatedly. I got stuck in my head that I would never be able to indulge myself by building something again just for the knowledge. During this creative block, I was stuck with the small and old Chromebook our school provided for our online classes. One day, browsing what the Chromebook had to offer, I stumbled upon the Minecraft education edition. I have always heard good things about this game but never played it. Discovering this vast and popular video game forever changed how I enjoy and learn. Crafting in Minecraft is like creating in real life; with the right tools, knowledge, and courage, you can create endless possibilities for the characters and humanity. Simple and complex concepts became more accessible, and suddenly, learning was at the click of an object. I became more pleasant by interacting with others within the game; I learned many different techniques about our mutual passion for crafting from these people. This aspect of the videogame has slowly evolved in me by making me realize that other people are there for me, and I would not have made the strong connections I have with others. In Minecraft, I get to customize my space, much as I have done in the past few years in my room. I can create online gifts for my friends that are useful to them and learn about their favorite items, how to craft them, and their usage. The more I play, the more I build up my knowledge, from basic concepts like furnacing sand to create glass to tweaking it to make more intricate objects like stained glass. It becomes a beacon of mutual admiration since crafting has numerous branches, such as enchanting and potion brewing. The crafting aspect of Minecraft is near and dear to my heart because of the impact it had on my life and the way I learned in a science class. Crafting will forever be enthralled and admired in my heart for as long as I exist, for I owe it my motivation to keep exploring new things each time I lean back on my chair and launch the game with my friends.

After I had enough of my father's poor excuse of parenting at the age of thirteen, I left to live only with my mother. Being raised by a single mother might be described as a tragedy by others, but being raised by my mom was the best thing that could ever happen to me. I am now a mature adult raised by a caring mother to whom I owe my life. I found my passion, community, and, most importantly, myself. My mother is a fierce woman who has enormously influenced my life in every way. However, this was not the case all the time. Our relationship has reached its present state because of efforts from both sides to change for the better and an extensive history of patience. From a very young age, I did not see my mother often. We barely spoke to one another as she was always working, and I was always doing homework. For the longest time, I felt she was a stranger to me, and I resented how it made me feel. However, when I matured, I realized she was doing her best to get us through each month. Since I learned earlier than expected about our economic situation, the following experiences permanently altered my economic awareness, and much like my mother, I developed a sense of apprehension when spending money. Because of our hardships, like our water pipes exploding under the winter cold, my mother taught me small yet effective habits to reduce our spending, such as knowing how to adapt and improvise with strange tools, meal prep, and being mindful of what we consume in services. As I gained more consciousness, I realized I wanted to become someone who would financially add to my family instead of taking from it. I knew my academic efforts would be the beginning of my goals. However, I had to face the fear of being honest with myself to achieve this goal. During high school, I manipulated myself into trying to study a career that would get me paid handsomely. However, the more I explored the field, the more I loathed the thought of dedicating my life to it. Without my mother, I would not be studying the subject I love the most. From a very early stage, my mom saw that my fears were troubling my future. One day, she sat me down and had a conversation that drastically changed my whole perspective on life. My mother made me realize that I would not enjoy a life of mental enslavement working on something that would not satisfy my creative essence. My mother has always been my biggest inspiration to study my passion with enthusiasm, and now I am determined to do so without getting us into loans that will be chasing me even after I die. "Los Habitos de aprenden" (Habits are learned), my mother would say each time I asked why I had to go to elementary school every day. Even with dreadful weather or intense sickness, I never missed a day of class and always put my undivided attention and effort into each assignment. With time and unwavering endeavors, I became the capable scholar I am today. My deep admiration for my mother will take me far; her words, lessons, morals, and genuine noble soul have been the paint that I transform and plaster in every one of my canvases of action. I value more than anything the lessons my mother has permanently carved in my brain, and I aspire to embody her sacrifices and her hard work for the rest of my life.

After I had enough of my father’s poor excuse of parenting at the age of thirteen, I left to live only with my mother. Being raised by a single parent might be described as a tragedy by others, but being raised by my mother was the best thing that could ever happen to me. I am now a mature adult raised by a caring mother to whom I owe my life. I found my passion, community, and, most importantly, myself. Growing up in a single-family household was physically and mentally demanding, especially with a younger sibling to constantly take care of because we could not afford caretaking services. When my sister was born, I was assigned to protect her for the rest of my life. It was more of a suggestion than an order from my pre-divorced parent, but a child does not take such an honor lightly. We were not the closest as we slowly grew up, but I always had her at arm’s length whenever we visited our father. She may not remember, but I protected her from the monster my father had become after his divorce. I had sworn to protect her, even if it meant shielding the messy side our father often displayed. I still remember how my heart burned as if I was entering cardiac arrest when I realized that my sibling would not follow me to live with our mother. However, I knew we would eventually be reunited one way or another. I was proven right recently when I realized that despite the hardship it brought us, living in a single-family household allowed us siblings to create a strong bond. Financially speaking, we barely made it sometimes. Consequently, it permanently altered my economic awareness surrounding spending, such as the cost of bills, medical care, academics, and food supply. I developed a sense of apprehension when spending money when we had to live on the ground in an empty room for several months. Because of our hardships, like our water pipes exploding under the winter cold, I quickly developed habits to reduce our spending, such as knowing how to adapt and improvise with strange tools, meal prep, and being mindful of what I consume in services. As I gained more consciousness, I realized I wanted to become someone who would financially add to my family instead of taking from it. I had to defeat my fear of being honest with myself to achieve this goal. During high school, I manipulated myself into trying to study a career that would get me paid handsomely. However, the more I explored the field, the more I loathed the thought of dedicating my life to it. My mother saw that my fears were troubling my future, and while we were discussing it, she made me realize that I would not enjoy a life of mental enslavement working on something that would not satisfy my creative essence. Because of my background, I am a very disciplined and exceptional student. My mother has always been my biggest inspiration to study my passion with enthusiasm, and now I am determined to do so without getting us into loans that will be chasing me even after I die. Although sometimes she was a little too strict about my grades, she meant well and made me a capable scholar. Even with dreadful weather or intense sickness, I never missed a day of class and always put my undivided attention and effort into each assignment. I am always preparing for my future and want to make the most of my life to support my family.

Being raised by a single parent might be described as a tragedy by others, but being raised by my mother was the best thing that could ever happen to me. My abusive father worked hard to make me feel disposable. However, my mother only had to be herself to prove I was worth many things. I am now a mature adult raised by a caring mother to whom I owe my life. One of the biggest challenges I faced was being honest with myself. Because I come from a low-income household, I let my money anxiety choose my future. However, I soon woke up from the torment and realized that my passion should be my career. I have lied to myself since I was young, but I learned to let my lies go and reclaim my truth. I am part of many communities, including the Hispanic and Latino communities. I aspire to cherish, share, and spread my gratitude towards my perspective to my community and, hopefully, the world someday. I plan to highlight my community's strengths and create an influence to uplift our voices. Consequently, it will raise awareness and encourage strength in my community and those outside it. To achieve this goal, I am dedicated to investing my time and energy into my passion for my studies to exploit its knowledge and make impactful actions throughout my career and beyond. I am currently pursuing a career in art with great enthusiasm. I am an artist, and I strive to expand and change the perspective of my audience. Art is one of the most influential media, constantly evolving to reach new minds and voices worldwide toward an open range of generations. My narrative, heritage, and experience as a first-generation college student influence my pieces.