Amy Heidbreder

My imagination could run wild. What am I saying? My imagination still can run wild. I used to love to draw in an attempt to bring my ideas to paper. I loved to dream. I still do. Drawing was a way of manifesting vision for me. It was getting my thoughts out of my head and giving them a life of their own, even if just on paper. What I love about drawing is that it’s a method for bringing one’s imagination into existence. Even the most insane, other worldly ideas can be expressed through drawing or painting. I haven’t drawn in years but today I did for the first time since I don’t know when. Naturally, it’s a drawing of a horse jumping.

In digging up pieces of a stowed away portfolio, I’ve stumbled across a variety of half-done ideas partially sketched then discarded. In High School, I fell in love with the first Spider-Man movie. I had never been a super hero fan, but Spider-Man intrigued me. I set out on a mission to familiarize myself more with Peter Parker and other characters of the Marvel Universe, drawing various super heroes, and even creating a super hero of my own. I’ll maybe reveal a little about my hero in my next post. I have a hand done accordion book he inspired, when I was in school, that I’ve always wanted to share. My super hero has a story, a story I doubt will ever be publicized, but I’ve rather enjoyed writing about him and imagining his adventures.

Back to drawing. Drawing is what led me to study graphic design. When I was weighing what university to attend, what I really wanted to do was to find a way into the horse industry and study something akin to equine sciences. I applied and was accepted into Texas A&M to do just that. The thing was, when it came to horses at that time, I felt in over my head, like I hadn’t been exposed enough to the world of jumping to consider pursuing it professionally right out of college. I just didn’t feel set up right to be successful.

As a backup, I applied to the University of Houston. It was during a time when U of H was trying to become competitive with the likes of the UTs and A&Ms. They offered massive scholarships to incentivize good students to choose U of H over other formidable schools. I was no exception, and the academic scholarship U of H offered me could not be ignored. Unfortunately, U of H had no animal sciences or no programs in veterinary medicine. What they did have though was a thriving school of art.

I studied art in high school. I loved to draw. What could I do practically with drawing, though? That question led me to find graphic design. I accepted the scholarship offered by the University of Houston and was catapulted into the study of graphic communications. I by chance stumbled into a challenging program that to this day was one of the hardest things I ever completed, and that to this day, I do not regret.

I learned so many facets of art. I painted. I drew. I silkscreened. I letter pressed. I photographed, and discovered practical ways to apply creativity in very real scenarios. Always there was a horse theme lurking, but it wouldn’t be me without something horse related, now would it?

Perhaps this is an awakening. It might be fun to start producing art again.