Salutations, I’m Xan (pronounced as in my whole name, Alexander). I’m 18, in my last year of high school and very ready to leave. I’m probably-on-some-sort-of-spectrum kind of creative, and there’s not much I wouldn’t do for a project. I don’t know draws me to art – maybe it’s a way to make sense of a world I don’t otherwise understand, maybe I’m looking for ‘perfection’, or maybe I’ll never find the answer. What I do know is that I’ve always been drawn to it – I was the kid who didn’t want to leave the drawing table at school, and who, without fail, got art supplies every Christmas. Though, only in the last year, my practice has really started to consume my life – in the best way possible. My peers might say I’ve sacrificed my teenage-hood (see TEENAGE), but I’m glad to say I spent it following my passion instead – I developed my skills through what felt like hundreds of online tutorials – from 3D modelling in Blender and developing film, to bookbinding and processing wild clay, I’ve done a bit of everything.

Looking at my high school art experience in hindsight, being an incredibly passionate, high producing and big-thinking student doesn’t mix well with a rubric designed for standardised marking. While I have learnt important skills in visual art at school, I feel that my creativity, initiative, integrity and individuality have been stifled by the curriculum – traits I’ve had to actively fight to maintain in my work.

Testimonials:

“Why can’t you just follow the task” – Art teacher
“This isn’t your best work” – Art teacher
“A disappointing effort” – Art teacher
“[This] is too complex for what the task requires” – Art teacher
“Make the necessary changes now” – Art teacher
“It is a very loosely related justification” – Art teacher
“You are below the expected standard” – Art teacher
“Meet me in my office” – Head of arts department
“No hard feelings?” – Art teacher
“This was difficult to mark” - University lecturer
"Who asked for this, and why would they pay for it" – University lecturer
“You are a waste of oxygen” – Sport teacher