Maybe I'd use it in one of my abstract drawings that I like to create. Or, maybe I'd decorate the walls in my room at home - not that I'm the one who needs to be reminded about the power that art has in our lives.
No, I'm one of the lucky ones.
I've been going to Fleisher, in South Philadelphia, for the past three years. And I have loved every minute of it. I attend Fleisher's Teen Lounge, a place where teenagers can learn about art, make art, talk about art and generally hang out and be ourselves for a couple of hours every week.
The Teen Lounge has given me an opportunity to expand my knowledge of the arts. I feel like a totally different person when I step into Fleisher. It allows me to express my feelings and not be afraid of being judged. I'm not self-conscious there; I don't experience any of those put-downs that you may see and feel in high school.
I'm really proud that Fleisher just won the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award this year. I even got to meet first lady Michelle Obama when the award was given at the White House. (That experience is a whole other essay.)
In the Teen Lounge, artists and teachers appreciate my art as much as I do, and that is the most important thing about Fleisher. They appreciate and value your artwork for what it is. That's why I keep coming. Everyone gets to be themselves through the arts. Students in the Teen Lounge learn to be unique and creative. The arts at Fleisher help students to find out who they are and who they want to be.
Every time I sit down to draw, I focus on what's important to me and then I see that come to life in my drawing. The artwork I make shows what I am capable of, and it makes me look at what I need to work on. You can think of things no one thinks of when drawing. Imagination can take you to so many different levels. I know I'm just at the beginning of what I want to explore.
Does my time in Fleisher's Teen Lounge make me a better student? Yes, I believe it has, in some way or another. I do see myself using what a teacher at Fleisher called "creative thinking skills" every day. What's really important is that my time at Fleisher has given me the self-confidence to try to solve other problems and to see things in my life at home and my life in school from different perspectives.
On second thought, maybe we don't need a rubber stamp that says "Art Saves Lives," since art shouldn't be labeled. It's creative. It's Me.
And I think it could be you.
Zulmarie Nazario is a junior at the Academy of Palumbo, in South Philadelphia. She is thinking about becoming an obstetrician or a nurse. She'll always be an artist.
