For most people, drawing a simple stick figure sketch is extremely difficult. For senior Zara Rizvi, she can do it in her sleep. Art is a difficult class to take and skill to develop. You have to have a lot of patience, time, and a positive work ethic. For Zara, it all comes naturally.

“Art has made a huge impact on me,” she says.  “It’s given me lots of amazing opportunities.” Last year Zara received an award at the Kennedy Center for Excellence in the Arts. It has made her realize how rewarding hard work is. It took her a long time to get to where she is and seeing that made such a huge impact. 

Zara is also the president of the National Art Honors Society, a group that does lots of activities in the arts such as painting windows in old town Leesburg, making cards on Valentine’s Day, and even face painting at school events and fundraisers. This year they hope to paint another mural to decorate Heritage High School’s walls. 

“Never stop drawing” is advice she gives to other aspiring artists. “It may seem difficult, but just keep on going.” Art takes lots of time, especially on big projects. “Overwhelmed” is a piece entirely done in Prisma Color colored pencils, and it took her almost two summers to complete. The project took a lot of patience that not everybody has.  She has also done several other projects outside of school and mentioned that in school, she loves working ahead in class. In AP Studio Art, projects are more student directed and artists get to work at their own pace. There are still due dates of course, but this allows students to focus on one certain project longer, rather than feeling rushed to get multiple assignments turned in at once.

As you walk down the Fine Arts Hallway, students’ work lines the walls in frames. There are photography pieces, realism drawings, paintings, and even sketches, but Zara’s  work always stands out. “My dream job is to be a Disney animator. However, I would love to go into virtual reality design as well. That would be amazing,” she commented. She even mentioned that she would love placing her work on Redbubble, a popular site where users post artwork, usually stickers or designed notebooks, for consumers to purchase.

It takes a lot of confidence to post your work publicly but Zara has no problem. Even from the beginning she has always been open about sharing her love of art with all people, hoping to inspire anyone that will listen. There is more meaning behind just a picture, it’s a way to express yourself, and Zara has found the perfect way to capture that.