Six years ago, when I was in kindergarten, art was nothing to me. It was art class, it was finger painting; it was the Mona Lisa portrait -- you know, stuff in museums. But of all the things it was, it wasn't my life -- in other words, I didn't think about it every day.

But in March 2003, that all changed. I got signed up for this "ArtsCenter Afterschool," and the way I pictured it was nothing like it turned out to be.

I was thinking -- if I thought about it at all -- that it would be "art," you know, painting, drawing with pencils or crayons, coloring. But when I stepped off the bus that day, what I found was a clown -- Clown Willy to be exact -- teaching us to make balloon animals and do magic tricks. Wow -- a clown was there and he was teaching us!

Through the years many different kinds of artists have taught us a whole range of arts: hip-hop dancing and aerosol art, film directing and movie producing, water colors, story writing, cartooning, clay sculpture, African drumming, and one of my favorites, making puppets and learning to be a puppeteer.

Because of these experiences, my life has really changed. I think of art in a whole different way. I am nothing like the awkward and shy little kindergartener who came here six years ago. I now consider myself an artist, and I think of the ArtsCenter as a second home. And I have met and made some really good friends.

Now my house is filled with art. Pinch pots are scattered on desks and counters, my cartoons and paintings are hung on the walls; replicas of ancient art together with some of my pots are sitting on the shelf above me as I type. A jimbe drum sits on a bookcase next to my bed, and a drum I made just this spring is right next to it; my video camera is frequently set up to make stop-action movies.

I want to give thanks to TJ for opening my eyes to a whole world of dance and movement. I want to thank Mitzi for teaching me that art has many forms. I also want to thank all my friends, especially Langston, for showing me that art is everything and everything is art. And to Kate and Shirlette, who have been there almost as long I have, thanks for everything. I am looking forward to middle school, but I will miss afternoons at the ArtsCenter. I hope some day to be back first as a counselor, and then as one of the teaching artists myself.