BY: NICHOLAS AMON
Imagine a 9-year-old boy drawing cartoons on a crumble edged piece of loose-leaf paper, elegantly and subconsciously sculpting his future for years to come. Even as sunny days presented themselves across the horizon in Marion County, Kentucky, young Colin Beach would spend numerous hours inside his quiet childhood room sketching away instead of playing outside like a normal 4th grade boy. Ten years later, Sophomore Colin Beach is attending the University of Louisville using the same intuition and dedication to make decisions that may affect his life for years open ended. Beach is nothing of the ordinary. As he continues old habits of losing himself inside a lonely room, the only thing that has changed is his need for noise to lose himself inside his own creations and keep his talents intertwined with his ambition. Music plays a big part of Beach’s creative process and he drowns himself within it casually as he lets his ideas fulfill his sketchpad. Not only does he find inspiration in artists that range from Salvador Dali to unknown graffiti artists across Louisville that give themselves anonymous identities such as “Does”, but Beach sees both the appreciated side of art itself, along with the more rebellious side of the graffiti world that many people frown upon. Somewhere in the middle is where Beach places himself, classifying his work as a taste of realism, with a side of graffiti inspired street art. Beach realizes his style lies somewhere between the two styles and actually enjoys riding the median between them. When entering college, many people lose their vision. They become overwhelmed with the struc- ture placed in front of them and tend to think finding a stable or “safe” major here at the University is their one-way ticket to graduation. That’s the complete opposite state of mind Beach pertains, as he plans on getting a minor in art for his degree, and is already placed within the Art Institute side of the University. He sees the way many people treat college and how they rely on a wrong sense of intuitiveness, which in return propels him into incorporating his talents that he has kept throughout his entire life and turning it into something plausible here at U of L. In Beach’s eyes “art is something that expands your mind, and ultimately makes you perceive things differently.” Carrying this idea and motto, Beach plans on becoming a marketing major and wants to transfuse or merge his artistic abilities within his business and marketing abilities. Beach may not have the ticket to graduation already booked, but he sure knows where he wants to purchase it. When asked if Beach felt he as an artist needed to grow, he simply replied with a grin “Of course, I always have room to grow. In the attempt to reach perfection one will never find it, which motivates me to carry that mantra and always remind myself I can be better. I want to see myself reach new and undiscovered boundaries.” Seeing the external and internal world like this is a frame of mind Beach has always had and simply grown up with. Being a twin, Beach has already seen his brother graduate and receive his audio engineering degree, and is inspired by the heights his twin brother has climbed and displayed. This not only motivates Beach, but also makes him realize that success is right around the corner if you look hard enough. A sticky quandary that many people of our generation become accustomed to speculating about is whether to follow and pursue their dreams finding little revenue, or dropping their hopes and dreams and choosing a career that simply pays more. For Beach there is no question. Being happy in a career you love is far more vital than consuming yourself with money. When asked what advice he would give to others pursuing the same interests he replied eagerly, “I would tell them to focus. Focus and push yourselves because if you believe in yourself, it will eventually begin to rub off on others. Never limit yourself but lose yourself exploring new boundaries.”
Beach isn’t a very over the top or exceedingly outgoing individual, because he is content with who he is. He knows what talent he possesses and at the time being, he knows how he wants to pursue what he’s good at. It’s simply what he knows.It’s what he could do blindfolded. He’s just a regular person like you or me; a regular person with a dream, an idea, and a plan to reach his goals.
