I started writing this little blog DrawGrowSmile a few years ago to motivate myself to practice my writing consistently and to face my long time fear of sharing my words. After the age of 9, I have spent my whole life trying to learn and understand English. My native language is Spanish. Ever since I moved to the US I wanted to feel like I belonged and the language barrier made me feel disconnected from others. I have managed to learn the language quite well ( I think π ) but the insecurities never went away. Yet, here I am still writing even if it is in my own imperfect way.

A third language
Since I struggled for decades to find my speaking voice and doubted my ability to communicate effectively as a speaker and in words, I turned to an alternative option. I began to learn a third language, visual storytelling.
I started to seriously develop my art practice late in high school. I never intended to do it professionally and back then I didn’t even know it was a real option. All I knew was that art made me feel happy and all I desperately wanted was to feel happiness. That single motivation has kept me actively and consistently nurturing my craft every single day since I started.
More to come
Now with a couple of decades under my belt of consistently practicing my craft I have accumulated some expertise. I will be sharing more of that knowledge at http://www.yanuary.com.
How has language affected you personally? How has art contributed to your self-growth? Leave a comment.