For sophomore Bree Lydon, art has always come naturally. After picking up crayons and doodling on paper when she was two, she knew she wanted to pursue art. The 14-year-old is starting to learn animation in her home and has recently begun a new animation club at school.

“I have always been attracted to art. I like pretty things, especially when it comes to the art that I make. There’s something about being able to express me in [the art that I create] and also being able to tell a story without having to think about how to spell words,”  Lydon said.

Lydon is currently in the process of learning how to create animation. She wants to work in a big-time studio such as Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network and sees animation as a career option. However, Lydon has experienced a few bumps while discovering her passion for art.

“Self-doubt is my largest struggle when creating a piece. I’ll be extremely confident one day and then look back on it the next day, and I don’t even know what I’m looking at, or I’ll just completely run out of confidence on some days. Sometimes, it takes a whole week to get back to working on my projects, like animation. But with school, I like [projects] because [the class] is paced,” Lydon said. “You can only put so much effort in until there’s nothing you can think of, and that’s when artwork sets in, and that’s just a whole new pain to deal with.”

Bringing her passion for animation to the school, Lydon recently began the new Animation Club. Wanting to start a club for animation since middle school, Lydon didn’t have the confidence to get a teacher to sponsor the club, but this year, she got impatient and gained the confidence to ask a teacher to sponsor the club.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for senior Darcie Morgan. Receiving art lessons with her grandma and having an artist for an uncle has instilled the importance of art in Morgan from a young age. 

Though watercolor was her favorite medium when she was young, Morgan has now experimented with acrylics and oil painting. Whether talking it through with a friend, scrolling through her camera roll, or already having an idea, Morgan’s creativity comes from all over.

“Nature and bright colors have always been an inspiration to me. I love how simple things can bring so much joy, especially when done with the right colors,” Morgan said. “I enjoy making pieces that make me happy. I love making others happy, too, and art is a great way to do that. That’s why my subject matter is always bright and playful.

I want to encourage people to have hope in the world and see something beautiful.”

Currently, Morgan is painting the “West-o-poly” themed mural for the class of 2023, which has been her long-time goal. Next year she plans on studying art at Brigham Young University.

“I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I never gave up and continued to improve my skills further and further. Now, I’m in a place where I can do all sorts of different mediums and enjoy the creative process,” Morgan said.

For senior Nora Detchemendy, drawing caught her eye while she was growing up. Detchmendy began pursuing her art career as a child and went on to learn pottery during her junior year. Detchemendy draws with a thin sharpie in her artwork, often coming off as comic book or tattoo-style line art because she likes how it looks.

“I’ve never stopped drawing, [ever] since I [started when I] was little. I’m proud of the style I adopted and created with my art. I do a lot of work with a fine-tip sharpie, kind of like comic book/tattoo-style line art. It was kind of an accident at first, but I rolled with it, and I liked it, so I kept using it.” Detchemendy said. “Drawing, to me, is a way to bring your ideas to life and your vision to the paper.” 

Detchemendy is in Advanced 3D Studies and AP Drawing, just some of the many AP art classes at the school. Picking up the hobby after getting compliments about her work, Detchemendy credits her teachers for helping her continue her journey with drawing.

“Art teachers [Kat] Briggs and [Ashley] Drissel have been nothing but helpful and encouraging; I appreciate them and everything they do. They’re good at their job by being very interactive and encouraging with their students. [They] check in and help when needed,” Detchmendy said.

Because she doesn’t like drawing humans and faces, Detchemendy can often be found drawing skeleton-related images. Detchemendy starts with a pencil and goes back in with a pen.

“[Skeleton art] is cool, and there is a lot of symbolism behind it. Skeletons don’t have a gender; you can’t assume as much when you draw a skeleton; you have to show it. I just sit and think until I get an idea for a piece. Drawing can be calming. I sit down and draw for hours. It’s hypnotizing because I feel like I leave the real world,” Detchemendy said. “It’s fun to see your ideas given life, especially by your hands.”

As a little girl with her eyes constantly glued to the TV, junior Lizzie Duenez watched countless red carpets. The glitz and glamor eventually went from the carpet to Duenez’s sketchbook, inspiring her to start designing and sewing clothes when she was eight.

Though red carpet events like the annual Met Gala still inspire Duenez, she now finds her ideas in different ways, including various eras in time and even architecture. 

“Designing has [allowed] me to be more creative and share how I see art with others. It taught me to be more confident and helped me be more resourceful by using old materials and clothes to make something new and fun instead of wasting money that I don’t have,” Duenez said.

Not only does Duenez find it useful to quickly fix small clothing issues — such as mending a hole in a sweater or hemming a dress — but Duenez also recognizes the benefits sewing will have in the future, especially as she hopes to become an actress.

“I think it would be cool to be [my] own designer because you don’t have to limit yourself. You can be proud of something; everything would be made for you and [based on] what you like instead of what someone else thinks would be good for you. You get to use your own opinion and [make your own] decisions,” Duenez said. 

For sophomore Tony Zenser, photography was a way to spend time with his grandpa. Zenzer’s grandpa gave him a spare camera after COVID-19, which led him to find a passion for film and photography.

“I’m grateful for my grandpa getting me into photography because it’s a hobby that I’ve enjoyed,” Zenser said. “When I’m older, I’ll get to look back on the memories of taking images with my grandpa and have the opportunity to thank him for all I’ve learned.”

Being naturally drawn to photography, Zenser picked up the hobby of doing film photography in high school. Film photography is classified as taking images on clear thin plastic. Digital photography doesn’t follow the same steps as film. Zenser, like any other artist, has a routine when it comes to photography. Zenser says his parents see the value in this hobby he has picked up.

“The hardest part about photography was just practicing. It’s a lot of trial and error, and it’s not a fast process. I mostly like taking close-up [images of] nature or landscapes. I think those are more interesting than people or buildings or events because people are so common, and it’s more interesting to be able to capture something as complicated and diverse as a landscape,” Zenser said. 

Developing and printing everything on his own — excluding colored images — Zenser is proud of what he has learned and accomplished because it is a hard bridge the gap as a beginner photographer. He hopes to continue photography as a hobby down the road.

“Photography is a great way to pass time, and it’s a way to make moments last longer than they would otherwise. I’ve enjoyed photography because it’s a way to slow down; you can control almost everything about a photo, even on film. It’s also nice to do everything yourself, away from a computer. I’m looking forward to eventually doing alternative processes, color printing, and developing,” Zenser said.

A skein of yarn sits in sophomore Alexis Briner’s room. With that yarn, a crochet hook, time and dedication, possibility awaits. Since she was in eighth grade, one stitch after another, Briner has made everything, from a tote bag and stuffed animals to shirts and blankets.

Briner first started crocheting when she needed something to do after she broke her finger. Briner began by creating a string of chains and now has an array of crocheted items.

“Art has always been a great way for me to express myself,” Briner said. “Crocheting is different from many art forms in that you are making a product that doesn’t tend to convey much emotion; however, pieces take a lot of time and tend to be a little investment, so I find them to be very meaningful gifts.”

She gets inspiration from crochet influencers with the help of the internet, increasing the crochet reach to teens. On Instagram, the “crochet” hashtag has 46.4 million posts and 16.1 billion views on TikTok.

“Usually, I start projects spontaneously and just make whatever I feel like working on,” Briner said. “Crocheting is a great way for me to take my mind off things and unwind while still feeling like I have something to show for my time. It’s meditative and allows me to take a break from the things stressing me out.”