What Being An Artist at Peddie Taught Me

Tour guide Dorquis encourages students to explore the ways in which Peddie arts programs can expand your mindset, make it more playful and even introduce you to who you really are.

There are few places in life in which we are allowed the freedom to express ourselves beyond words, and for me, Peddie’s Arts Center has been that place for the last three years of my life. While I have always had a passion for the arts, when I entered high school and saw the ways in which Peddie’s art curriculum, even at a beginner level, stretches students’ creativity and morphs it into physical form, I fell in love with artistry. I remember my freshman year, in which I was taking Visual Arts Foundation. When I entered the classroom, something in me shifted. It was as if the pressure to speak, to say the right things, evaporated in my body as the brushstrokes touched my canvas. 

Peddie’s art classes have allowed me to explore parts of myself that I have never done by myself. Even when art pieces did not turn out the ways I had expected, the art department was nothing short of encouraging. They pushed me to continue and to redirect, to create from the “mistakes” and to find comfort in the unexpected. 

That very encouragement guided me into becoming an applicant to be a part of the first sophomore class at Peddie to apply for AP Studio. When I received the email from Ms. Watkins, describing how excited she was to see the work I would do in AP 2D, my soul felt complete, as though I had begun a chapter of my life that I thought would never be opened. The art journey I experienced my sophomore year and thereafter was simply beautiful, to say the least. In the moments where I felt unqualified next to my talented peers, I was reminded that art is not simply about how it presents itself, but also the personality behind it: That class allowed me to be confident in saying I am an artist. 

You could have asked anyone in my sophomore year where I spent the majority of my time and their answers would always be the same: the arts center. I did not go to Swig just to complete my homework; I went to liberate my mind from its imaginary shackles. It became my home. 

I am now about to be a senior taking Honors Studio, and I have never been more excited to take a course at Peddie; I cannot wait to continue my journey and to see my peers continue theirs! To me, being an artist here has taught me that true art is the journey to completion, not just the final piece. 

Learn more about the visual arts at Peddie.