Color-Blind Artist, Innit?

by Lyan Wilton Aguilar | January 26, 2022

Spoiler Alert: ‘La ray problema lods haha’

I had always known that something was wrong with my eyes. Back in elementary school, I would join poster-making competitions and people would laugh at my work, presumably because of my strange choice of colors — which I never paid much attention to. Still, despite the signs, I was never convinced of my color blindness. At first, I only thought it was either because I wanted to color my drawings unconventionally or be color-blind just for the clout.

Eventually, I went to see a doctor after my father insisted that I apply for a maritime academy and that’s when I finally found out. I am color-blind, and it’s not really a problem for me.

In fact, it only made me focus even harder on my graphite drawings and my editorial cartoons, which allowed me to gain opportunities through the years. So, being color-blind doesn’t matter. I’m just out here chillin’ like a villain.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you see colors? 

Yes, I can. My only problem is that I see colors differently from most people. I was diagnosed with strong deutan color blindness, a type of red-green color blindness with green cones in the eye detecting too much red light and not enough green light. 

Do you feel sad being color-blind as an artist?

It doesn’t affect me that much, especially in my drawing career since I’m more of a graphite pencil person myself (bruh). People may think it’s sad since I’m an artist and there’s a certain kind of “potential I will never reach”. Yes, it’s unfortunate on paper, but not enough to make me Thanos snap myself, HAHAHA, so it’s not really a big problem.

Have you ever tried drawing with colors using a color guide?

I have, but after one drawing, I ended up selling my colored pencils. Haha, it’s not my thing. I don’t know if that’s because those colored pencils felt cheap or I just didn’t know how to use them, but one thing is for sure, I find it bothersome to use a lot of pencils at once because I’m not organized. That might be attributed to me not getting used to it.

So, how is color blindness working out for you?

I have always been color-blind, so this way of seeing the world is all I have ever known. It’s not like I used to see all the right colors and then suddenly I don’t. I think that’s the reason why I’m not sad about it. So, being a color-blind artist doesn’t bother me. I’m content with my current situation. Besides, this disability made me focus on graphite drawing, which overall improved my skills in art.

Art needs time and experience. It’s useless to get into all the art styles and not be good at them. It’s better to focus on one thing and be a master of it. But, if you’re one of the lucky ones that can, then good for you. HAHAHA.

With this, people should be content with what they have and improve it. There’s no such thing as getting to the max level in real life. Just like the great Bruce Lee once said, 

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

bruh.