Artwork by Jacques du Toit

Choose life

I chose life.

I chose a job, a career in advertising. I chose the big television, a washing machine and a car.

The life of a struggling artist never appealed to me. Instead I spent the last 5 years advancing my career, falling victim to materialism and the slow cancer that is lifestyle creep. The life I was building was fragile, and it took a small push to shatter it into a million pieces.

Today I don’t own a big tv, or a washing machine or a car. I no longer work in advertising.

Art calls to me. There’s no other way of describing it. I’ve ignored the calling, and the cost has been high. It isn’t a hobby, not like playing the guitar or cooking or rock-climbing. Art is scary as hell, and without it my life is hollow.

The biggest reason I’m afraid of art is my lack of a proper education. (What we fear most is the unknown, am I right?) During my studies – I have a bachelor’s in graphic design – we touched on constructive drawing, observational drawing and colour theory. I want to master constructive drawing, perspective, the human figure, and ultimately create characters and worlds from memory and imagination.

The essential skills every artist must have are covered in the Drawing Academy course, no doubt about it. I want to win this course because, short of actually being present in a studio with a mentor, it is my best opportunity to learn from those who have mastered the essential skills. I live and work in Johannesburg, South Africa, and cannot practically study art in a studio environment.

I hope that my submitted artwork and this motivational letter shows that I have found that which burns my soul with desire and purpose. Vote for me to win, so that my soul may be reduced to ashes by it.

Instagram.com/jacques_du_toit