I really love art because it is where I can maximize my capabilities as a person towards others. My father is an artist. It’s because of him that I inherited a talent in the art world. Since elementary, I love doing art activities such as poster making, collage making, painting, drawing, cartooning and even t-shirt printing. I was inspired to pursue some fields in art because I realized how big colors and brushes paint life to the world. Every time I see a painting, I am moved to the reflection that the artist, through his masterpiece, is connecting to the lives of the others. That is why, everytime I make an art, I am participating in creating world with others. As I moved to a bigger world, I saw the bigger picture art can give. This is where I started making money with art, my talent then, as I slowly understand my capabilities, becomes more useful and an auxiliary for achieving my dreams in life. And that is to answer the call of God as a priest in the future. As I enter the seminary, I found it hard to comply with the financial obligation the institution required. My mother’s salary is not enough to sustain two college students. Realizing that I can use my talent for college funds, I do some money-making through t-shirt printing. I make designs that are both God-related and eye catching that every purchaser, which I believe, always loves to wear. My brother seminarians keep on wanting for the new designs that are to be released and that inspires me more to actualize my talent in art and eventually to be thankful for God’s grace. Doing art is also a way of comforting oneself. One of my formators always reminds us, seminarians, to indulge ourselves in every skill-development activities inside the institution. That is, we are also taught to use the seminary room for skills’ improvement such as playing the guitar, playing the piano, joining basketball and volleyball practice, cooking food, doing table skirting, and making art decorations. Seminary is not only a home of prayer, academics and pastoral formation but also a place of realizing and actualizing our capabilities of contributing to the world of different characters. Part of seminarian's life within his stay in the formation is the experience of loneliness. There are times when we deeply feel lonely for our love ones. Some of us would ask to go home to visit our parents and some of us stay and enjoy the rests of the days of the academic year inside the institution. Whenever I encounter this scenario in life, for my part, I divert longingness into art-making. We are always taught in our philosophy courses that the cure for sorrow is action. Work is the only therapy when one is in the state of sorrow. So everytime I feel lonely, I take the action of making art through designing and t-shirt printing. It is only through working that I stop loneliness from the possible pressuring of my life and vocation. It is my way of determination to stay focus on the one goal of my life — to answer God’s call. Art then has been my aid to understand God’s purpose in my life. Through art I encountered different people and different attitudes. I come to cross different sides of life and comprehend them one by one. The longer I stay in the formation, the more I realize my capabilities as a seminarian. Its not only we are formed to become a mature and responsible college student, but also to exercise our strength in some aspect of life that helps us cater our way to our dreams. My stay in the formation has been remarkable because of the small things that I do for my vocation, which I believe in the eyes of God, are of great value.
