I thought in order to become a better artist, one needs to break the rules and boundaries to attempt exploration of more beyond realism, showing creativity in a distinctive style like that of avant-garde Modernism. Modernism means a break with the past and the simultaneous search for new forms of expression. It fosters values of “experimentation in the arts” (Kuiper, n.d.) and ideas that kindle new modes of expression. I believed that in order for artists to prove their artistic skills, their artwork should carry those unique expressions of Modernism. I started my training as an artist when I was three years old, in Korean art educational institutions and schools. Unknowingly, this shaped how I define a “good” artist and what I think is the goal of art making. Before I moved to the US in 1998, the public school I attended followed the National Art Curriculum which was created by “university professors whose education before 1990’s was western art (modernism)” (Kean, 2006). Once a week, I attended the art educational institutions after school and its teaching was heavily focused on technical skills to create photorealistic drawings and paintings. I believe this focus on art making techniques impacted my college years of artistic expression as well; I was eager to create an eye-catching masterpiece. The definition that resided in my mind was that only a good artist creates distinct creations that are sensational and recognizable. I studied four years in the Columbus College of Art and Design until I graduated in 2006. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in illustration. The school had a curriculum that continues until today, called the CORE Studio which required the first year students to take foundational courses. The first year focused on drawing, design, technology, and business while the second year teaches “technical skills outside the major of choice” (Columbus College of Art & Design, n.d.). The school reminded me of the familiarity of Korean art education that was focused on building technical skills. I had never imagined other art teaching approaches were possible.