When I was young, my mom took my sister and me to the pottery studio where her friend Marlene displayed all the pieces she made. “You can do this too, you know,” she told me. Doubtfully, I picked up the clay, papier-mâché, paint brushes, glaze and made what came to my 12 year old mind: animals.

Advancing in my ceramics journey, my high school art teacher, Mr. Kenas, taught me what I needed to know. He demonstrated how to make more intricate pieces and reassured me, “You can do this too.”

Having confidence in myself, I started making pieces for my family, sharing my work. And I noticed the art made them feel differently than it made me feel.

Vincent Fecteau, a Californian sculptor, shared his work in prominent museums. Fecteau, sharing his work to millions of others, hoped his art would give viewers a flux of emotions. Not only did his art do this, but it also got him nominated and declared a winner of the MacArthur “Genius Grant” at the age of 47. This fellowship is awarded to creativity, as the MacArthur Foundation states: “The ability to make something new, understand ourselves and the people around us in depth, and broadening the horizons of imagination.” It would be a phenomenon to meet Fecteau to ask if he ever doubted himself, to ask who his superior artist idol was and if they ever said, “You can do this too.”