Welcome to Creative Minds, an online magazine run by youth, for youth. Our goal is to feature the work of young artists across Ontario by providing a platform to showcase their talents. The Artspression executive team has put together the first edition, but future editions will be made with the help of YOU. To learn more about what we do and how you can be a part of Creative Minds, be sure to read the letters from our two co-founders!
Hope you enjoy!
For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Jen and I am a grade 11 student. An interesting fact about me is that I am a cat fanatic, but I sadly don’t actually own any. Most importantly, I am just like any other teenager. We all have big dreams and minds overflowing with ideas that are waiting for the moment to be transformed into reality. An idea that blossomed made Artspression come to life.
In the last month of summer 2015, I was lounging around my house when a question popped in my head. What do I love to do? Summer break had granted me a surplus amount of time to pursue a hobby, but I did not know where to start. I loved playing my flute, drawing and painting, but all available activities were closed during the summer. In fact, I realized that other than school related extracurriculars, there was a lack of opportunities to get involved for youth in the arts. In recent months prior to summer break, I noticed that more of my peers were dropping out of the arts and abandoning what was once a heart-felt interest. Many of these people had been avid contributors to the arts, but I saw them slowly lose their love. I was beginning to feel the influence rub off on me, and so I was determined to find a way to bring the arts back into people’s lives.
At the time, I was unaware of any programs in the Oakville community that allowed youth to share their love for the arts, and certainly none that were run by teenagers. Since we needed a community that supported engagement in the arts, but it didn’t exist, I created one! I gathered a group of friends who were art enthusiasts and had seen the beauty in the arts and together, we founded Artspression, an organization that strives on spreading the arts and encouraging young artists to express themselves through doing what they love.
Hey! My name is Cindy, and like Jen, I'm a grade 11 student. (Unlike Jen, however, I am more of dog person). Before we started Artspression, we both had one thing in common: a love for the arts. For the past twelve years, I've spent close to every day of my life surrounded by music - playing it, writing it, listening to it. I was never a piano prodigy, or a brilliant composer, but overtime I developed a passion for music that can only be described as indescribable.
When I began teaching piano at the start of last year, I remember thinking to myself, "If I could, I would do this every day for the rest of my life." It was fun and rewarding and something I truly enjoyed. So, why don't I just major in music and become a music teacher when I grow up? Because, without knowing it, my priorities have changed. A lot.
I don't remember the last time I sat down and played a piece from start to finish. I don't remember what it feels like to perform in front of a sizeable audience. What I do remember is how it feels to be awake at 2 am, trying to study for three tests at once, or how it feels to do poorly on one of those tests and think your whole life is over, or how it feels to worry about whether your resume looks impressive enough (so you can get into a good university. So you can get into medical school. So you can become a doctor). And I hate it. I stopped taking music at school after grade 9, and I know so many people who have done the same, because there were more "important" courses to take. As someone who's in a STEM based program that can, at times, be a little demanding, I guess I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed by school and extracurriculars. But as a musician, and in the same sense, an artist, I know how important it is to be passionate about things. To do things simply for yourself.
And that's why we started Artspression. Because we know you're all busy, but we hope you can take some time out of your schedule to revisit the things you're crazy about.
This magazine, Creative Minds, was designed to showcase your art, whether that's artwork, photography, videography, graphic design, music, dance, or writing. This isn't a project we started for ourselves. It was sincerely meant for you, and it'll only work if we can create a community of artists who are willing to share their talent and appreciation for the arts with one another.
If you'd be interested in having your work featured in our next edition, please fill out the form below. Again, all submissions are welcome!
