Prawn-o-graphy

Prawn-o-graphy

By Nonamus

Hi. My name is Nonamus, and I am an addict. I love drawing. Since I was very young, I would bring my art supplies to school almost every day, in the hope of snatching a few minutes of drawing time during recess. Of course, I only drew when I had free time, to keep my life balanced. ​ But then, when I was about 10 years old, I found prawns. I was at my aunt’s wedding dinner with my family at a Chinese restaurant. Until that day, I had never seen a live prawn, and my only opinion of them was that they were stinky pieces of seafood used to add flavour to a meal. This restaurant had several fish tanks, with different kinds of fish and crustaceans inside on display. While waiting for the food to arrive, I gazed at the tanks. The prawns in particular somehow caught my eye. I wanted to take a closer look at them. I turned and asked my father, “Dad? Can I go look at the fish?” “Sure, but be quiet and come back when the food arrives.” “Thanks!” I hurried to the tanks, peered into the prawn tank, and gasped at the beauty of the humble prawn. ​ A pair of big, black, shiny round eyes were attached to the ends of its eyestalks. Two pairs of extremely fragile-looking antennae extended from its head, one pair much longer than the other. Five pairs of tiny pink legs helped the prawn to swim and scamper endlessly across the tank. The prawn’s translucent shell glinted in the restaurant’s ights, revealing the red and white flesh underneath. What lustre! What colours! What energy! Here before me was the greatest art model I could ever ask for! I was sure that if I could learn to accurately represent, in my sketchbook, the energy and life a prawn has, I would have mastered the art of drawing. Thus began my devotion to the drawing of prawns. (I even made up a name for my new hobby.) At first, I would spend my drawing time in recess drawing prawns and other things, but I soon focused all my drawing time on prawns. My friends laughed at me for being so zealous, but they did not understand the grip prawns had on my soul. Soon, I was spending time after school to search for images of prawns on the internet, and trying to reproduce those pictures on paper. I tried painting, to bring out the colour and shine that the prawn had. After a few years, I would even go after school to visit markets that kept live prawns, so that I had live models to draw. I devoted all my free time to learning how to draw prawns, learning more of prawns, and drawing prawns. I spent very little time with my family. I could not spend any time on anyone else I knew, or on anything other than schoolwork and my passion. ​ My sister recognized that my obsession was not good for me, and that it was an addiction. One night, she came to my room while I was researching shading techniques. I didn't even look at her. “Nonny?” “Yeah sis?” “I.. just wanted to tell you that you may be spending too much time on your- hobby. You should try more things than just drawing.” “Why? Drawing’s the only thing I have, and the only thing I need.” “That’s not true. You know that. There’s a lot more out there that you can be part of.” “Like what?” This was a dumb question, and my sister didn’t bother naming the multitude of activities we both knew would benefit me. I looked up. “As long as I can draw and paint well, I don’t need anything else. I’m willing to sacrifice everything to pursue my ambition.” “But sacrificing everything will not make you the best artist you can be. To understand art, you have to understand people and the world. What’s the use of learning technique if your art has no meaning or emotion?” “I….” “ And the subject you’re focusing on is prawns. Why would you limit yourself to one kind of animal when there are so many more? What feelings can prawns elicit that other things cannot?” ​ “Uh…” I had not considered that question before. My childhood fascination with prawns had worn off some time ago, and all I had left was blind ambition and determination to be ‘good’ at drawing them. ​ “Please consider my advice: expand your horizons. Draw more than just prawns. Learn more than just drawing. Talk to people, and explore the world around you.” I sat there speechless. She left the room. I continued to sit for several more minutes, struggling in my head to justify my obsession. Prawns are truly a marvel. Unlike other crustaceans like crabs or lobsters, they are beautifully curved. Their colours are splendid, yet modest. However, I knew my sister was right. Prawns are not the whole world. I would benefit intellectually and emotionally from trying things that are new or different. Although I knew my sister was right, it was painfully difficult for me to give up an addiction that had gripped me for years. After half the night of internal turmoil, I finally agreed to give up prawn-o-graphy. The big struggle, it turned out, had only just begun. I had to fervently force myself to spend less time drawing. My family, with some friends of my aunt, helped me to find a few activities I was interested in. But after doing nothing but drawing prawns and studying for so long, I was extremely awkward in anything else. It took me all my wits and will to fit in and to adapt. ​ Now I am here. I have been resisting my addiction for a few weeks now, and while I crave it sometimes, I can honestly say that I feel more alive, confident, peaceful, and content now. I have changed for the better, and I pray that all of you will never stop changing for the better either. ​ Thank you.