This month’s Artist of the Issue, senior Willow Timberlake, is highly involved in ceramics and digital art at Lexington High School. Timberlake, who started engaging with art from a young age, has extensive experience in the field of visual arts.
Timberlake’s journey in ceramics started in their childhood, but reignited when they had to choose between Ceramics and a Foundations art class in sophomore year. When reflecting upon their choice to pursue ceramics, Timberlake commented that to them, it was one of the most rewarding art classes offered at LHS.
“I do ceramics because it’s a really refreshing medium and it lets me express myself through clay, and [because of] how satisfying it is,” Timberlake explained.
For Timberlake, the value of self-expression does not stop at ceramics. It extends beyond the medium of clay into the entire world of visual art.
“My relationship with art … I use it to process emotions, events—when I’m happy, when I’m sad—I just do it all the time, so it’s a part of me,” Timberlake said.
For other students looking to pursue art, Timberlake recommended the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a popular nationwide youth art contest, and YoungArts, a summer competition that requires a portfolio submission. In their sophomore year, Timberlake submitted pieces to Scholastic, winning a Gold Key in the digital arts category and an Honorable Mention in the ceramics category. This year, they won a Gold Key in both the digital art and ceramics categories. They expressed appreciation for the support LHS offers students in attending these competitions through its art program.
“There’s definitely decent funding, access to supplies, and art teachers who are willing to help wherever. It’s a really good program, and LHS has some really talented artists,” Timberlake said.
Timberlake’s engagement with art at LHS furthered when they took on the role of a teacher during the first Lexington Learns Together of this school year. Timberlake found the experience fun overall.
“A student that I had for LLT decided to take ceramics because they liked it. That made me really happy—that I decided to share my passion and someone was like, ‘I want to continue doing ceramics.’”
But, as in any subject, art is not all fun and games. Timberlake stated that their decision to start a more serious and challenging project at the end of junior year was a major reason their skills have improved significantly. However, they also emphasized that, alongside the amount of time and effort it takes to achieve a high skill level, artists must also take care of their health and rest.
“For any aspiring artists, it’s okay to take breaks and it’s okay to distance yourself from your medium. I wish someone told me this a lot earlier. It’s okay to make bad art because even though it’s bad in your opinion, it’s still a very important step in improving. Don’t give up, believe in yourself, believe in your skills,” Timberlake said.
