Personal Legend Research Paper

Ian Aubry December 13, 2010
Honors English II Block 4
Personal Legend Narrative

What is a personal legend? A personal legend is the path we decide to take that fills our hearts with enthusiasm; it is the path of our dreams. My personal legend has changed overtime. I have been influenced along my journey. I have also been faced with many obstacles, but I have still made movement with them there. I have learned many lessons along my journey, and I will continue to learn more. This is my personal legend, read on.
When I was a young child, maybe about three years old, I always had a interest and fascination with the kitchen. I was always banging on pots and pans, begging my mother to let me help prepare food. Even
the simplest thing such as holding the spoon and stirring seemed to satisfy me. This fascination with the kitchen soon blossomed into more detailed cooking as I became older. My aunt was a great chef and baker, so whenever I would go to her house we would always make a mess in the kitchen, and I loved it. Just the idea that you can combine ingredients to make something your own fascinated me. Growing up, I always had the space and supplies to practice my cooking. This allowed me to gain skill. I made everything from homemade pasta to chocolate cupcakes with mascarpone cheese icing. The older I got, the more intricate the recipes got and I loved challenging my self.
Until I was around the age of twelve I held this interest in cooking.
When I was around the age of twelve, my sister started preparing and getting things ready for college. My sister was going to be studying to be an art education major, with a minor in photography. In many ways, my sister is one of the omens that changed my personal legend over time. I sometimes went with her on her college visits and I always fell in love with the design aspects of some of the schools. My sister was always a great artist and I admired her very much. By growing up with her and being close, I was able to learn some of her techniques and some of her must have rubbed off on me. My sister was a huge influence on me. As my interest grew in the design world, I realized what type of design I wanted to pursue. The design that really caught and captivated me was graphic design. I found that I loved it for the same reason I loved cooking, which was you could combine ideas and create something your
own.
Even though I have limited ability to move toward achieving my personal legend, I have still tried to make progress. I have made progress by making flyers for various school functions. For the class of 2013, I am the go-to guy for graphic design needs. I have invested in a copy of the wonderful software we all know as Adobe Photoshop. It has really helped me advance my skills. It has also allowed me to become familiar with software, which is a must for college. Another way I have made progress is by making invitations to parties, weddings, baby showers and more for family and friends. I sometimes edit my friends Facebook pictures for them, just for my practice and to give them something unique. It’s also important for me to pay attention to the outside world, so I know what people are demanding and what is ever changing. There are lessons to be learned on your journey to your personal legend. One lesson I have learned is that you cannot be taught everything. You aren’t always going to be able to take a class on something, or learn it from someone else. Sometimes you have to learn to rely on yourself and not others, which is another lesson I have learned. You have to teach yourself, and sometimes that it going to be hard to do. You cannot be taught creativity; the ideas in your mind are original to you and no one else. I have encountered many obstacles on my journey to my personal legend.
One of my obstacles is school. While I am at school for almost seven hours a day, I could instead be practicing my graphic design work. I could be one the best and youngest graphic designers of our time, if only it wasn’t for school. Another obstacle I have faced is my age. Most advertisement and design firms will not take a fifteen year old seriously when it comes to graphic design. As soon as they hear that age number, they are instantly turned off and don’t even care to see my work. But they are wrong, young people are among some of the most creative in the world. I have also faced the problem of money. I do not have the money to spend on the whole Adobe Creative Suite, which would cost probably over one thousand dollars! My parents have the money to spend on it, but I would never put that expense on them and they would never spoil me rotten like that. I have Psychological obstacles too. I sometimes think and wonder about my personal legend. I asked myself, “Do I want to do this as a profession?” “Is this really my personal legend, or is it masking something else?” and “will I be taken
seriously?” I do not think I will realize my personal legend for another two to six years. I think I am most likely to realize it after I am finished schooling altogether, so I really have time to sit down and think while I don’t have two million other things going on. I am very excited for what the future has in store for me. My personal legend has changed overtime. It has gone from cooking to graphic design, but with the same idea, which is creating something your own. I have told you what has influenced me, my movement towards my goal, the lessons I have learned, my obstacles and how close I am to realizing my personal legend. I hope this personal legend is the one that truly fills my heart.