i first realized i could draw better than most people when i was six.

i have a distinct memory of drawing a hamburger for a homework assignment in first grade, sitting at the coffee table in the living room. in that moment, drawing made so much sense! it was like, of course there have to be sesame seeds on the bun and the tomatoes have to be overlapping under some frilly lettuce because that's how hamburgers look! obviously. the next day, the other kids said how good the drawing was, which felt nice. so i kept drawing.... that is to say, i'd drawn pictures before then, but they weren't nearly as good—there was a vast improvement from "cookie monster" at age four and the hamburger at age six. after that, i started taking art lessons and got even better at drawing! but i still suck at drawing people from my imagination.