Art is her passion.
Senior Dominique Miller said she became serious about art just three years ago, but now she cannot see her future without it.
“I never liked art growing up, I actually thought it was a waste of time,” Miller said. “I started drawing in class, just things I saw and I realized I really liked it.”
According to Miller, art has helped her communicate ideas that she was previously unable to.
“I got really into art when I found out I was dyslexic. It was hard for me to talk and write so drawing was a way to better express the things I wanted to say,” Miller said.
Senior Madilyn Sturges has been friends with Miller since the third grade. She said Miller had always been shy, but after becoming involved with art she has seen her become more confident.
“We went to Comic-Con together and they had an art hall with a ton of artists. She went up to one of them and they started having a conversation,” Sturges said. “Before she never would have had the confidence to do that and now they had something in common to talk about.”
Her artwork has gathered quite a bit of attention on social media. Miller’s Instagram account, (@jokerbegins) where she primarily shares her drawings has nearly 4,000 followers. She said she began to gain followers after other art accounts shared her artwork on their Instagram pages.
“It [Instagram] has opened new opportunities with commissions and has helped me meet new people,” Miller said.
Miller’s mediums are mostly colored pencil, graphite and most recently acrylic. However, her future plans revolve around digital animation. She said she hopes to attend Portland Community College in the fall and later transfer to the DigiPen Institute of Technology in Washington to study video game design and programming.
“Video games have always been a huge part of my life. I would always get super excited when I would get a new game console and of course I loved the visuals,” Miller said.
Miller is also a producer for KMHS Television, Marshfield’s daily announcements program and former ASB member.
Sturges said she believes Miller’s dreams of game animation are perfect for her.
“When we were younger I would write stories and describe the characters to her. She would take what I said and draw them out for me,” Sturges said. “She’s always been good at bringing people’s ideas to life.”
