During the winter, many Lexington High School students submitted their visual artwork to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a national competition for creative teenagers. Students submit their works to their state-wide competition, winning either the Gold Key, Silver Key, or an Honorable Mention. Gold Key winners then advance to the national competition for a chance to win a medal.
Many students draw inspiration from their personal experiences when creating their artwork.
“I tend to reflect and look on my life and my memories, and I always ask myself the question, ‘Why am I doing art?’,” Jongmin Kim, a senior at LHS with multiple Scholastic awards, said.
For some students, competing empowers them to continue pursuing art. Xin Lin, a junior who won national medals at Scholastics, submitted only one piece during her freshman year, which earned a Gold Key.
“I didn’t submit anything else because I didn’t think it was worth it or good enough. I had a lot of self-doubt that year, but [competing in Scholastics] definitely validated my value as an artist,” Lin said.
However, given the subjective nature of art, challenges arise when dealing with competition results. One person’s favorite artwork might not resonate with another person.
“As an artist, you just have to accept that not everybody is going to like or approve your artwork,” Kim said. “You have to be proud of your own artwork and deal with self-doubt.”
Jolene Cai, a senior and Scholastic Awardee, echoes Kim’s sentiment.
“Art is an evolving process, and it’s okay if it doesn’t look the way you want it to. You can always work on that. You really do it for yourself more than you do it for others. It’s more the process rather than the outcome. The imperfections make us human,” Cai said.
When submitting work, some artists aim to convey a certain message for the audience to take away and relate to.
“I want people to build their confidence and be who they are. I want other people to look at my artwork and be themselves as well,” Kim said.
On the other hand, Cai prefers to let viewers interpret her work freely.
“I don’t inherently want [people] to feel something. I don’t want to restrict or limit what they feel but rather let them think what they want because I can build a message, I can build a scene, but people see things differently and they interpret art differently, so I let them be free,” Cai said.
When asked to advise first-time competitors, all of the artists encouraged others to pursue their goals without hesitation.
“Believe in yourself, don’t doubt yourself. You never know what is going to happen,” Lin said. “Submit as much as you can, and understand that [art] is subjective, and other people are going to think differently. Don’t feel down if you don’t get [an award], and be proud of [yourself] when you do.”
