When In Doubt - Freshman Year

Chapter 9

Madison

"What do you mean you don't see my personality in my work?" Madison smiled at her instructor, but was actually internally fuming.

It was the Monday after that Halloween weekend, so of course that'd meant another art project was due for her Drawing 1 course. Everyone had to do an architectural charcoal piece with the erase method: they'd smeared on a solid layer of charcoal, then only erased to show value, texture, and lighting. She had barely been able to get hers finished before she'd joined the other girls, who'd all seemed to get theirs done with no problem somehow.

Something wasn't adding up, Madison thought to herself. They always got theirs done quicker than just about anyone else...

Everyone else also completed theirs: Matt looked well under the weather while he'd stood off by himself, Heather snuck looks towards him whenever she could, and Eden looked nervous while she'd been huddled together with Zach and Jenna, all holding steaming cups of coffee from the Starbucks station back in the MSC.

Madison continued to stare down her instructor, an older gentleman named Mr. Price, who was on his last semester before retirement, so it seemed he'd decided to let loose and develop an eccentric teaching style to go out with a bang. Just the other week, they'd been doing still-life's of pumpkins and other fruits, and he'd compared each to a spot on a royal court: the banana represented the court jester for its humorous shape and reputation, and the pumpkin represented the king for its overpowering size and shape.

What the hell does he smoke whenever he goes out on his fishing trips every weekend?...

Mr. Price cleared his throat. "I just don't feel the essence of who 'Madison Parker' is in this piece." He'd gestured to her piece with much hand animation. "You did everything that was required of this assignment, yes, but I feel no pizazz or personality or passion within it. It's just there on the paper."

Madison was so done with him and his philosophical, new-age bullshit critiques. They'd made no sense; if she'd done everything that was required, shouldn't that get her a good grade? Apparently, that wasn't the case in a freshman-level drawing course. She'd curled her hands into a fist, and took a deep breath. "Can you explain to me how I would be able to put myself more into my work then?"

Mr. Price frowned at her like he was upset the answer wasn't obvious. "Well, that's something you'll need to discover for yourself. Every artist has their own thesis and style and that comes from looking within, but also looking around them and finding inspiration from their surroundings." He'd rested his hands on his hips like a scolding grandparent. "I just don't see any originality or spontaneity with this piece."

What. A. Crock. Of. Shit!

Madison could just silently nod along; it was no longer worth arguing about. She'd sullenly joined the group of classmates, and her frown deepened when she'd noticed Heather shooting her a dirty look.

What's her problem?

Mr. Price then asked Eden to step forward next and present her project. She'd looked absolutely terrified as he'd silently examined her work, while everyone else still looked tired and hungover from the weekend. Madison only half listened as Mr. Price had begun to point things out about Eden's project, but the main gist of it was actually praise, surprisingly. He'd commended her on her vast improvement from the last project, and even Madison could tell that Eden had spent a lot of time on this one, but it still didn't make sense hers hadn't receive any praise besides 'doing everything that was required.'

Mr. Price called for a short break after the class was done with Eden's glowing critique.