How a 16yr old artist uses Tik Tok to influence the world
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drawing has always been my thing
from the time i was two i drew all the
time my mom said i’d drawn the furniture
on the walls
but i think she’s just making that up to
make me feel bad i live in california
with my mom my dad my older brother and
my younger sister
this is my family i was a pretty
creative kid
i have so many journals and stacks of
drawings that i’ve saved over the years
unfortunately i’ve most likely
contributed to the death of more than a
few trees
which is not cool but my art was on the
cover of a few school publications or
t-shirts which was cool
but mostly i drew because i loved it
fast forward to december of 2019
on my 15th birthday my parents got me an
ipad and i started to learn to draw
digitally
going from traditional mediums like
paints pencils and markers to using a
screen and stylist took some practice
traditional and digital art are very
different how the screen feels the way
the pen works we can make corrections
change
colors i quickly adapt it and i’ve grown
to enjoy digital drawing
definitely a win for the trees like many
people my age
i started tick tock account as many of
you know tick tock is a social media
platform
where you can post up to 60 second
videos and showcase your talent or
really post anything you want
whether that’s dancing singing cooking
poetry
or my case drawing when i joined there
were only a few artists on the platform
but using a drawing app i created my
first ever tick tock
drawing the british cartoon character
peppa pig as a human
and people really seem to like it
from there i drew flounder from the
little mermaid and paired the platypus
from phineas and ferb and many other
characters
this led to my series where i do brands
like google instagram and sprite as
humans
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i’m starting to get some attention and
was posting in between school sports
practice
and my community service hours and spend
time with friends and family
things were going well then cover 19
appeared no in-person school
no seeing friends staying home you know
the story
i plan to get a job working at a local
dig camp teaching kids art but with the
pandemic
not many jobs were available for teens
so tick-tock became my way to
communicate and participate in the
lockdown world
it gave me goals and something to do and
let me do my favorite thing in the
entire world which was art i could be
creative and focus on something fun and
positive
sometimes i was posting two or three
times a day
and started drawing well-known tick-tock
influencers as cartoons
or as themselves in various existing
cartoon styles
it was fun and i got a lot of feedback
now
a little more than a year since i first
got tick tock i have 1.8
million followers they’re from around
the world of all ages
and for the most part i get positive
feedback and in many different languages
some of them have told me that i’ve
inspired them to work harder
or start developing their talent and to
me that’s the best compliment
i’m often asked how i decide what to
draw or how i plan my next drawing
as a kid i drew it was fun then as a 15
year old trying to grow their following
i drew what was trending or popular or
what would give me likes and shares
but now as a old and wise
16 year old i want to draw things that
matter to me throughout this pandemic
we have learned that parks whether it’s
to park down your street
a state or national park they are
essential for us
feeling and being happy in my family
we’ve always had a love for the parks
and the outdoors
my mom works in the field of park and
recreation and her passion definitely
influenced our family we grew up hiking
and camping whenever we could and
visiting our local parks on almost a
daily basis
we all need to do our part to protect
and preserve
our parks and open spaces together we
can make a difference
and ensure our parks are here for future
generations whether that’s by leaving no
trace
volunteering supporting funding or
speaking out so your voice can be heard
for me parks were my safe place to play
i could run jump make noise
be a kid and i believe every kid
deserves a great park i’ve drawn tick
tockers as superheroes in the past
but this pandemic has made us rethink
who the real superheroes are
they are our essential workers nurses
grocery store clerks first responders
teachers and let’s not forget our park
workers second
i think we have learned what we say
matters
how we say it matters and when we say to
inspire others and stand up for what
matters
we protect and preserve our planet and
build hope for all
it matters
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and you don’t have to be a youth put
laureate
even the voices that start small can
continue to make a big impact for years
and hopefully generations to come
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i am just a 16 year old with an ipad and
a passion to draw
who hopefully one day gets into art
school and with hard work and dedication
goes and works in animation studio
someday i’m doing what i love
and i’m also trying to make a difference
so to wrap things up don’t be afraid to
put yourself
out there say thank you to a superhero
we can all make a difference big and
small
and finally do what you love and you
will inspire others to do the same
you