“I’m a senior at Texas A&M, studying animation. That’s my stuff. I like drawing and writing. As a kid, you’re always doodling. For me, it never really stopped.

“I didn’t take it seriously until my freshman year in college. I wanted to be an astronaut. But when I figured out I was really bad at math, I decided I wanted to be a paleontologist. When I realized that needed a lot of math, too, I went with my passion instead.

“My be-all, end-all goal is Disney. I’d love to work for them as a storyboard artist. I just got rejected from an internship there, so that’s a little wavery. I made it to the phone interview. That’s the last step. That’s when I got cut. Disney is very particular with who they want. When I was on the phone with them, they were like, ‘You can’t have any unnatural hair color.’ I was like, OK, I’ll chop my hair off. Then it was, ‘You can’t have any ear piercings.’ I was like, all right, I’ll take off my earrings. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out this time. The good thing is, I can apply again in January for a fall internship.

“I’ve got like a 10-year plan to get to Disney. It involves me being a teacher for five years. I’m going to get my master’s in education. I’m super excited about the opportunity. It’s a year-long program. As you’re working toward the degree, you’re also student teaching and being paid salary. If all else fails, I see myself being a teacher. I’m really passionate about reading, writing and literacy. I know a lot of people don’t like to write and have struggles with writing. So I feel like I could help with that.

“Overall, I’m going to follow whatever calling I’m led toward. I don’t think I’m ever going to give up art, even if I never end up making it to Disney. I think that’s the really cool thing about being an artist or a writer. You can do it no matter what.”

— Troy Breaux-Hare

You can find some of his art at ilios_art on Instagram.

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• He’s trying not to stress out about the future

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“For me, I think there is a little pressure that comes with turning 30. It’s a pretty big milestone. It’s like, you think you’d have your life figured out by now. When I was a teenager, I did imagine that I would have it figured out by this age. But I don’t. I feel like I’m just kind of winging it, working a security job and just now getting serious about making it as an artist.

“I read something recently that said success doesn’t automatically make you happy. I never thought about it that way, but it’s probably true. Don’t get me wrong. I’d like to become successful as an artist, have people appreciate my work and make a name for myself. But putting that pressure on myself to be successful, maybe that doesn’t necessarily mean I will be happy in that moment. Or that I will continue being happy for the rest of my life. It’s just success. It’s a separate thing from happiness or sadness or whatever. So I’m trying not to associate success with being happy. Because I think generally, every day, I’m a pretty happy person. I live my life and try to enjoy it as best as possible.

“We’re all going to die one day. Successful or not, it’s going to happen. So, bottom line, I’m just trying to enjoy life no matter what. I want to enjoy it and try to make a lasting impression with my art. If it’s taken care of properly, the art that I create will last longer than I will.”

— Joshua Villegas

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• He’s ready to put his best foot forward as an artist

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“As a kid I was always drawing. And I was a mall rat because my mom worked there at Foley’s. So I would go to Waldenbooks, and one time I saw a Star Wars art book. It was just when the movie prequels were coming out. I thought the designs and concepts were pretty cool. It was amazing to think that you could create an entire world if you wanted. It was escapism for me. I asked for the book for Christmas that year, and I started copying and drawing what they were doing. That’s what I did throughout elementary school and junior high.

“Then in high school I was in advanced art. That’s pretty much what kept my GPA up because it counted for a credit and a half. I always had pressure from the teacher to do something. But by the end of my senior year, I was scrambling to put a portfolio together. Honestly, I was always that procrastinator. That was a moment where I didn’t take advantage of things. I think my entire 20s were pretty much the same way. I had fun, but I didn’t do what I could have done to pursue an art career.

“But I don’t want to dwell on those missed opportunities. That’s not going to help me. It’s just like, what do I do now? How do I move forward now? So that’s what started all this, these paintings and all the other work I’ve been creating this year. In January I started drawing again. I began painting. I’m going to turn 30 in October. I decided that the time has come for me to put my best foot forward with my art. If not now, when?”

— Joshua Villegas

Here are samples of recent work:

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• Pondering the link between success and happiness

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“As a kid, I really enjoyed drawing. And I remember hearing my parents always say, ‘Oh, here’s our little architect.’ So I guess that stuck with me. Because when it was time to decide what I wanted to pursue I thought, let me try it out and see if it works. And it did. I’ve been an architect for 20-plus years now.

“Putting a set of drawings together and watching things get built is a pretty satisfying experience. Right now, my company mostly works on retail centers. In fact, we’re doing a few on Garth Road in Baytown. While those are fine, I especially have enjoyed working on school projects in the past. Taking those schools from design all the way through construction, from beginning to end, is a really interesting process. Plus, in the end, you see the positive impact those facilities have on the students. That really makes all the long hours and hard work worthwhile.”

— Jesse Garcia

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“One of my former coworkers at Whataburger is 65. He has a really kind heart. He’s a really generous guy. He raised two grandsons for years, but one recently passed away.

“They both suffered from muscular dystrophy and were confined to wheelchairs. Every day he would go home and wait by the bus stop to pick them up. He just took care of them. You’ve got to have a really pure heart to do something like that.

“So after I learned that one of the boys passed away, I thought it was an opportunity for me to do a kind deed. I drew this portrait for him.

“I find the purest joy in doing projects like this. Knowing that it isn’t about money, it’s just about me doing something nice for another person. It’s about being kind to people, man.

“Art touches all parts of the world. I am living proof of that. I truly believe that the hands can help mend a person’s heart.”

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“One of my biggest fears was whether my art would really stand out. I wasn’t sure if people would accept my work as being authentic and original. I wanted to know if I could actually make a living doing this.

“When I started, it was not easy. And it’s still not easy. I have to push myself everyday to keep it going. I have to try new things, new forms of art, whether it’s by hand or whether it’s digital. I prefer pencil. It’s my favorite. I do a lot of black and white portraits, unless something is requested in color.

“And I do most of it here. This is my home. This is my studio. It’s the place where I find rest, refuge, everything.

“All of these pictures that I have hanging up, they’re just reminders. These are pieces that I haven’t sold because they have a mark on them or they are unfinished or I never planned on selling them. They all took time, energy, effort and skill, all those things that I need to have with me everyday. So I get up, and this is what I see when I walk from my bedroom. This is what helps get me up and get me going every morning.”

— Welton Williams

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The post Artist continues work on his confidence and craft appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I don’t draw as much as I used to, mostly because I can’t find the inspiration for it. Or I can get inspired, but my hands don’t seem to want to work with my brain. I see it perfectly in my head how I want it to be. But when I go to draw, it comes out looking like something just died on my paper.

“In high school, I thought I wanted to be a tattoo artist. But then I figured out that art wasn’t my true passion. It’s something that I enjoyed doing, but I just didn’t have the patience to learn from my mistakes. I couldn’t handle drawing something and it not turning out the way I wanted. That really ticked me off to the point where I was like, you know what, I don’t like drawing anymore.

“I did discover that I like giving massages and that I’m pretty good at it. And it’s something I can do to help people, so I decided that’s what I’ll try to do.”

— Chasity Stacy

The post For lack of patience, she gave up on art appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“When I was about 5 years old, I would borrow my mother’s typewriter paper and trace pictures out of coloring books. One day I decided to see if I could draw some roses without tracing the picture. When I finished and showed it to my sister, she still thought I had traced it. So I put it on top of the coloring book picture and she went, ‘Oh.’ That was when I realized I could draw.

“Then, when I was 12, my parents gave me a year of oil painting lessons with a private teacher. That taught me how to mix colors and use the equipment.

“After that, I took off on my own. I’ve been drawing and painting ever since. I just get lost in it. To this day, I love even the smell of the paint.”

What is one of your favorite projects?
“My church has this hallway that leads to all of the classrooms, and they wanted something on those walls for the children. So every day for seven months I painted murals. I divided the space into sections and did scenes from the Bible. Later, I painted more wall murals at another church for a friend who became a pastor after he retired. Those were challenging projects, but they were fun. I didn’t ask for money for either one. I thought of them more as a ministry. It was a lot of work. But when I was through, it was very gratifying.”

— Carolyn Macha

The post She ‘gets lost’ in her painting and drawing appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I was an art major in college, and I’ve been painting for many years. But I recently got interested in painting outdoors and joined the Bay Area Plein Air Painters.

“Plein air is French, meaning open air. The point is to be outside and paint directly from nature. It’s what I enjoy. Doing stuff inside is fine, but outdoor painting is just more honest, I think. You’re not relying on a photograph. You’re not in the comfort of your home. You’re out in nature, and you have to get a quick impression of what you’re doing. There’s less time for trickery or thinking. It’s all done in the moment.

“I like a quick impression that’s honest. It may have rough edges and it may be imperfect, but it’s an honest way of capturing something.”

— Bob Tiefenwerth

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“I’m an artist naturally. My mom said I started drawing before I could talk. But business isn’t something that comes naturally to me. ” When you feel like someone is trying to reach into your pocket, it’s kind of hard to get a real connection with that person.

“With most of my art, I usually do the first one free. Some people try to take advantage of that, but it helps me realize their intentions.

“I’ve been very blessed lately. I’ve reached out and started working with some pretty awesome musicians and artists. I get to do a lot of really cool art for people who inspire me, so I’m definitely excited.

“Of course, you need to make some money to keep going, but that’s never been what drives me. My focus is the work. Art is my heart.”

He also makes music under the name Rachet Racket. You can follow him on Twitter @NitEWriterS23.

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