Story

Art has been an integral part of our lives for many years, shaping who we are. From the pride of having our work featured in events like the Laguna Beach Art Festival to using art as a powerful outlet for coping with stressful situations, it has always been a source of expression and comfort. As freshmen navigating the transition to high school, we've faced stress not only with academics but also in our social lives. During these times, art has been more valuable to us than ever, and we feel it’s time to pay it forward by sharing its benefits with others as a tool for managing stress.In our experience, a lot of teenagers lack healthy and sustainable coping mechanisms so we want to introduce them to the transformative world of visual arts. By sharing our experiences and passion for art, we hope to provide an outlet that helps others manage stress and embrace creativity.The idea for The Bigger Picture stems from one of our middle school experiences where we proposed creating a mural with our ASB class. With sponsorship from our advisor, we brought the idea to life, and we were surprised by how many classmates expressed how therapeutic the process was. This experience revealed the profound impact art can have on mental well-being.