Google gifted me my google pixel, but this blog post is all my own thoughts and is not paid for or a requested ad.

Art has been really prominent throughout my entire life. Through every venture, every business, the core always was about creating and making something. During junior high and high school art became an even bigger force in my life. I filled up my schedule with as many art classes as possible, no matter what form it was, I found pure joy in letting my brain shut down and just purely make. I always preferred a pencil: graphite, colored pencils, charcoal (in pencil form), as painting was a bit harder for me.

As I transitioned into adult-hood and found my career in the creative industry, art and creating became part of my every day. I would come up with concepts for photos, pose and post them. I also designed my website. While I loved the process of it all, it was still quite a change from drawing, painting or sculpting every day. It wasn’t until I was sent a Google Pixelbook from Google that I really realized just how much of a disconnect I had from art and my love of making just to make. The first thing I did when I started using it was download Adobe Sketch, with this app I was able to use the pen that works with the Google Pixelbook to draw. At first I couldn’t think of anything to draw, and that bothered me. I never was at a loss on what to make. But after a few months of using it in my spare time, I realized that I started looking forward to any chance I had to sit down and draw. I decided to post one of my pieces to my Instagram Story and was shocked when people asked to use it as wallpaper on their phones.

For the last few weeks I have been slowly learning the brushes on the app (because it is kind of like painting with a pencil, something I have never done before) and seeing how colors mix best. After lots of trial and error, I now have a collection of prints that I am really proud of. Some for people that want to use them as wallpapers and some I even got printed for myself!

I think the part that has been the most fun is realizing how the Pixelbook has influenced me with art. Like I said, I couldn’t paint and I mean that! It was the furthest thing from easy for me in my first art years. I cringed every time I had to do it. But, because of working on the Pixelbook so much, I’ve slowly but surely become more accustomed to it. I found my love for painting on the Pixelbook and have now started painting on canvases too (tell that to past Maddy and I would have LAUGHED in your face!)
For me art has meant so many things. Getting to bring ideas to life, learning how to immerse yourself in a project, realizing that the scary things you’re not so good at can actually turn into things you love. But if I hadn’t started using the Google Pixelbook I’m really not sure I’d be where I am with art again. I love my job and the ability to create, but there is something so special about getting to turn off the world and make again. Thanks, Google!