Elizabeth Mckiemy Biography

“An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one.” This was once said by sociologist Charles Horton Cooley. That may be true, but what does it take to become one? How do artists find their passion? Elizabeth McKemy is currently a skilled art teacher at the Wilson High School. Art is not only her career, but it’s her passion, too. This has not always been her path, though. Like many people, McKemy at, one point, did not know what she wanted to do with her life. McKemy first got into art during junior high. “The art room was my most comfortable place within the school building” she says. The art room was to McKemy as the Bodhi tree was to Buddha. McKemy gained relaxation from the art room, just as Buddha gained enlightenment from the Bodhi tree. It wasn’t until high school, though, that she realized how important art was to her. In a school of over 3,000 students, art was what gave her identity. High school was also when she started taking art seriously. McKemy recalls, “My High School art teacher, Mr. Goodwin, was the first person who made me realize that art was a legitimate subject, not merely a pastime, and worth pursuing.” Mr. Goodwin was
“You make yourself happy. I choose to be happy with teaching art. It is definitely a challenging job on a lot of fronts but you hold tight to the good moments and let the others just wash off,” she says. What’s her favorite part of her job? One thing she loves is seeing her students improve. It fills her with joy seeing her pupils proud of what they do. Inspiring her students, McKemy is the Dali of her classroom. In her career, there’s not much McKemy regrets. For her, every mistake and disappointment teaches her more for the future. The only thing she wishes for is more time to do art on her own. “I hope to retire in 6 or so years and have more time to paint and/or draw or just create - I never have time to do anything creative doing the school