“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. This quote is the basis of junior Honor Eduok’s newest piece, Floor One, recently displayed at Houston’s State of the Art Symposium. Step by step, brushstroke by brushstroke, Eduok is making his way up a staircase of possibilities, towards a bright future filled with art.
“I started art when I was 13 years old. It’s something I truly love to do, something I could sit down [with] for hours and hours on end. Mind you, I’ve done multiple 24 hours of just drawing,” Eduok reflected.
Looking back on his beginnings, Eduok isn’t scared to discuss his struggles throughout his journey in art, and even highlights his fears when first pursuing the path.
“Art has always been a scary thing for me to indulge in, or even to try to attempt, and this could be for a multitude of reasons: my impatience, my overwhelming desire to be great, or maybe I just didn’t believe that I had that [kind of] creativity inside me. As I took my first step into art, it was scary, but I realized it was the step that I most wanted,” Eduok said.
Since then, Eduok has grown into a seasoned artist with years of experience. Over his time as an artist, he has employed a variety of materials and mediums in his pieces, which have been showcased in multiple art contests.
“I work with a multitude of mediums, depending on how I feel. For the Houston Rodeo Art Competition, I worked with colored pencil, which is my first time [using it for] a large-scale piece,” Eduok explained.
After working more with the subject matter during high school, Eduok now aims to pursue an arts-based career in the future, incorporating his passion for art throughout different means of his life.
“I’m thinking about going into architecture. It tells a different story, and it’s something I haven’t gone into yet. I’ve drawn buildings, but I never really dove into the beauty of [architechture]. I definitely want to see how far I can go down that path,” Eduok said.
More recently, Eduok’s art was featured in the State of the Art Symposium, hosted by the Careers in the Arts Catalyst Program. The focus of this Houston-based program is to introduce high school students to arts-focused opportunities, career and otherwise. The digital piece he presented tells a story of growth and possibility, similar to his own journey as an artist.
“I started off thinking about a single phrase: ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. The staircase [in the piece] also provides leverage for [the boy in the piece] to realize that any art form isn’t out of reach, but all he has to do is take a single step towards that. In just a few of those spaces, you can see arts like dance music, painting, etc. The staircase could represent his growth as an artist in any medium, and that he is not confined to anything,” Eduok explained.
The name of the piece, Floor One, also holds significance in relation to the message of the piece.
“The name Floor One comes from the centerpiece stairs. Once we start our art journey, we are all on the first floor, and we have to continue to strive and grow by climbing the stairs. Floor one is the first level of your art journey, and based on what you do and how much you grow, you get to floor two, three, four, or five,” Eduok said.
Eduok reflects on how this piece has evolved over time. Ideas and art pieces do not remain stagnant, and the final form of a piece may prove to be strikingly different from the initial visions of the creator.
“At the beginning of [my creation of] the piece, it was not supposed to be a staircase. It was actually supposed to be a guy on a cloud, and the other clouds held the other forms of art. It was supposed to [show how], when you get into art, it’s like your own oasis, your own heaven, and that these other clouds are achievable if you want to [reach them],” Eduok explained.
Eduok also reflected on how his participation in the event and creation of this piece impacted him as an artist. He has most notably learned the lesson of structure and planning when developing a piece.
“I realized that I want to be more detailed with my art, and also I want to be able to have a process. One of my art teachers in the past said, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. Art is a creative journey which you have to flow with, but you also can’t let your imagination deter your process,” Eduok reflected.
Eduok offers wise advice to aspiring artists, including lessons of perseverance and practice.
“References are a great, great way to improve your art. Do not be afraid to use references. And, you know, it’s a process. Even if you start off bad or you think your art is not that great, it just takes time, effort, commitment, to do it, and it’ll become something you never expect,” said Eduok.
