Ryan Williams is a 17 year old senior. Ryan has been drawing for over 10 years. He was introduced to art from a friend who taught him about the technique of shading. That experience opened Ryan up to how much more there is to learn about art.
This interview has been edited and condensed
Can you describe what you do outside of school?
Last year, my junior year, I participated in the CUE Teen Collective. Me and my peers planned out a gallery. We created the theme and created the work for it. We held a public reception. I created a series called ‘Conflicting Perceptions’, where it explored how my mental health influenced how I see the world and the person I am today. I use different colors as motifs. Red represented reality and objectivity. Blue represented depression and yellow represented anxiety.
Why did you join this specific activity and what made you interested?
I got an email for it [from] Mr. Sowiski (Pace’s Assistant Principal). I thought it would be a good opportunity and it’s not every day you’re going to be able to do something that big and to have that opportunity for free. Especially if you’re interested in art, it’s a good way to start your tools and like the real world, you get to see many different aspects of how art is used in real life. So what possible jobs I can get through visual arts. I thought it was a really good opportunity.
Was this an activity you’ve always enjoyed?
In hindsight, I’m very happy I did it, but in the moment, there were parts that I didn’t enjoy. Especially in the latter half where we had to start creating the gallery. I was really swamped with work. I had to study for the SAT and ACT. I had a big English research paper I had to work on. There was a trip to go on, a trip abroad, with the school that I had planned to go [to]. There was a lot going on in that period, and the work that went into having to plan out exactly what you’re going to do; having to create a full out idea behind it. Make sure everything you added to the art is calculated. It was difficult at times, but I think if you can handle that good time management and put in the effort, then you’ll enjoy it.
What is your favorite part about what you do?
My favorite part is that art is not so universal. It is so intrinsically human. Everyone, everyone interacts with art in their daily lives, no matter how small or how big it can communicate human stories and languages that anyone can understand. So no matter how far away someone is, no matter what language they speak, no matter what background they come from, you can share and connect through art. I just find it comforting and yeah, like watching a show or anime or cartoon that you get fully invested into, and being able to just delve into that world is a really beautiful thing.
Do you see yourself doing more art in the future? Whether that be a job, art school, or still as a hobby?
No matter what I do, I know art is going to be, at the very least, a hobby because it’s so intertwined with me. I do see myself working as an artist. Right now, I’m in a partial arts program, hoping to attend CalArts for free. If I make it through, then I have plans to become an animator. So I want to work at Disney or Ufotable, an anime studio creating stories that I enjoy. But I also want to use it to speak on issues that I’m passionate about, like mental health, since it affected me so much. I’m planning to be a professional artist.
