Growing up in Nova Scotia, I don't recall dreaming of becoming an artist. I always loved drawing but never saw it as a career choice. I assumed my destiny was to become a ninja warrior or major league baseball player. As I moved into my early teens, I pulled away from art to pursue these more exciting careers.
As I entered junior high I soon found school a major struggle. I was a creative child, but creativity had little to do with a system designed for memorization. I became bored and did so poorly under I was asked to enter special education classes. My struggles continued throughout high school and I soon turned to a life of drugs. At first this was exciting but slowly I stripped myself of my ambition and the understanding of who I was. The only way to feel better was to do more drugs. This cycle repeated itself over the next decade.
Eight years ago I finally hit bottom. I began and quit 13 jobs over the course of a year and my relationships were crumbling around me. On the verge of being kicked out of my home I headed to a homeless shelter to begin the next chapter of my sad reality. My stay lasted just two short days but it was enough to convince myself there was something more. I wandered the streets the next few days, sometimes openly weeping at what I'd become.
I decided my only way out was to try the education system again. I found myself with an architecture application in hand that asked for a portfolio of drawings. I set to work to begin this portfolio and immediately recognized a skill I long walked away from. I was astounded by my talent to produce life like drawings. I had no training, yet I understood I had just been given a very special gift. I never ended up finishing the portfolio and instead began my life as an artist. One struggle ended but another was to begin. I went door to door making sales and garnering attention any way I could. The early years of my new career were very difficult. Pay checks were slim but I believed success would come. My confidence grew with each drawing sold and so did the desire to let the world know about my art.
I'm now 34 years old and the proud father of two. Because of the unwavering support of my family and my own hard work I have rebuilt myself into what I had always hoped to become. I never want to return to what I was but I also would never change a moment of my past. I hope you enjoy my web site and my pencil drawings, and I hope to continue to produce great artwork until I’m no longer able.
Robb Scott
