Junior Elizabeth Lewis, who is mostly known for her ice hockey and lacrosse prowess, has a Youtube channel were she belts out her favorite tunes with the accompaniment of her acoustic guitar. Senior Britt Hijkoop pursues drawing and painting while not in rehearsal for the school plays. Junior Willie Gould, a football, track, and lacrosse player, has developed an interest in ceramics.
Artistic inclinations have been a part of these unsung artists since they were children. “My old babysitter would come over with drawing pads and let me draw on them,” Willie said. “She was an artist and taught me art from the outset.”
Elizabeth also began singing at an early age. “I’ve always loved singing, ever since I was little,” she said. “I used to put on shows in my basement, but when I got older I didn’t know how to continue singing, since sports and school got in the way.”
As Elizabeth matured into her teenage years, she found a new, tech-savvy way to continue singing—she created her own Youtube channel and has since posted six videos. “I was nervous to post my first video because I didn’t know how people would react,” she said. “But now, people I don’t know that well approach me in school and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you did that.’ The response has been great and it has helped build my confidence.”
Britt found her Advanced Studio Art class influential in solidifying her passion for painting and drawing. “This year, I realized art wasn’t just a hobby for me,” she said. “Being surrounded by all that creative energy [in my Advanced Studio Art class]is quite inspiring because it fuels my own ideas and motivates me to keep working.”
Willie rekindled his affinity for art through a ceramics class at NCHS. “At first, I just took ceramics to fulfill the art requirement for graduation, but when I took the class I really liked it,” he said.
However, the creative talents of these individuals are often unknown to the larger student body. “My room is like my little studio, but if I told my friends that I was applying to schools for art they would be surprised because they wouldn’t expect that from me,” Britt said. “However, I’ve always been a creative person.”
While Willie does not plan on pursuing art, he vows he will always be an art aficionado. “I know I will always really like art,” he said. “It’s always been a part of me and always will be.”
Elizabeth, on the other hand, sees her singing career as a big part of her future. “I would love to pursue singing; it’s my dream,” she said. “It’s my main priority, and I find time to practice every day, even if it’s at 2 am after I finish my homework.”
Elizabeth will get to take her singing skills off the computer screen and onto the stage at the Haiti Benefit Concert. She will sing “All You Wanted” by Michelle Branch, which is also on her Youtube site.
Undercover artists have indicated that pigeonholing students into certain social groups can be limiting. “People assume that artists are nerdy people but they’re really not,” Willie said. “Art is for people who think critically about what they’re doing. Other students might say, ‘Oh, he’s a jock. He wouldn’t do art,’ but that’s not the way it is. Art is a means of expressing yourself, no matter who you are.”
