Resurrecting the inner child through art: How early experiences with creativity can inspire the mature artist

The discovery of artistic expression is usually found at a young age. It is hard to rival the creativity and imagination of a young mind, who is still in awe of the world and everything it has to offer. There are no inhibitions or fears when it comes to creating art as a child. The concept of imposter syndrome has yet to show up in their little minds. Even one's first encounter with art can leave a lasting impact, blossoming into an emotional outlet indescribable through words. This blog post details insights from two individuals who are creatively talented and how their childhood experiences with art has influenced how and what they create today.  

Bradley Reyes, the communications department leader at Christian Life Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL explained how he creates art and what drives him. He explained that he uses art to tell a story. His emotions are immortalized on a page through the tool of visual storytelling. Creating graphics for a church doesn’t leave much room for personal emotional expression, but Reyes still finds a way to make his own feelings on a subject shine through. Reyes says his love for art came about because creating made it easier to process things, it made complex feelings in his mind easier to understand.

Reyes fell in love with creating at a young age, he was inspired and influenced by his brothers. They taught him about creativity and he just ran with it after that. Pastor Brandon Mercado, the associate kids pastor at Christian Life Center, explained that he fell in love with art because of the show Dragon Ball Z. He first started drawing at the age of 8, creating comics and drawing Dragon Ball Z characters. He said that the most free he felt when creating art was at the ages 8 and 18. Eighteen was such a special time for him creatively because it reminded him of how free he felt when he was 8 and discovering art for the first time. He recounted a story of him hanging out with his younger nephews at the age of 18 and being inspired by their wild, childish imagination. 

As a creative, it is hard not to compare your work to others, while also striving for perfection. Reyes says that he still struggles with creating “perfect art,” he has an “affinity” to it. Having high standards isn’t always a bad thing, but sometimes expecting no flaws creates setbacks. Reyes combats this by understanding how failure is the real starter through someone’s true freedom in designing and creating. Mercado distances himself from the phrase “spirit of excellence,” when it comes to making art. He took up the habit of drawing in pen alone, so he was forced to keep his mistakes, instead of going back and constantly erasing. Mercado said that practice helped him realize that his art wasn’t really bad and he was able to find peace in the process of constant growth. 

Bradley Reyes

Pastor Brandon Mercado