I’d be lost if it weren’t for the arts. From putting words on paper to paint on canvas, from the listening to and the making of music, from capturing images on a camera to breathing life into a character on stage, this is who I am.

I’ve been attracted to all things artistic since I was a kid. 

I fell in love with the movies on Sunday afternoons. My eyes were glued to the TV, whether I was tuning into Channel 4 or Channel 9 to catch the adventures of Lassie or to try to solve various crimes with Charlie Chan or Sherlock Holmes. And I loved Shirley Temple.

The first time I actually went to the movie theater was with Mom to see “Mary Poppins” starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. I was five. I loved the music so much that Mom bought me the soundtrack. I listened to the album as often as possible. I would sing along and pretend to be one of Mary Poppins’ charges. 

The following year, we went to another one of Andrews’ hit films: “The Sound of Music.” What I wouldn’t have given to be a Von Trapp sibling. Mom bought me the soundtrack to this movie as well. And like “Mary Poppins,” I listened to “The Sound of Music” constantly. To this day, I still know most of the lyrics to both records.

And, I’ve loved soundtracks ever since, whether they’re simply music or music and singing. I learned to pay attention to background music. Friends would hardly remember the music, but I would run out and get the soundtrack, something I still do to this day. My latest purchase was the soundtrack to “Avatar.”

I was a first-grader the year I was introduced to an honest-to-goodness artist. Her name was Maxine Hoffman, and I fell in love with her talent. She could draw anything. And we spent lots of time in class working on various projects. That was probably my favorite year in school.

A friend and I used to ride our bicycles to Mrs. Hoffman’s house to help her out around the house. Our reward? Something to do with art. Up until a couple of years ago, I still owned a couple of corn husk dolls we got to make in her dining room. And, I still have the coloring book she’d drawn and signed for me. It’s about Frances Slocum. 

As for the writing bug, again, I have Mom to thank. I fell in love with words when she would read aloud to me. My favorite book was “Lady and The Tramp.” She’d read it to me over and again.  

I grew up with my nose in books. For some reason, it was easier for me to understand fictional characters than people in real life. 

The first time I wrote something was a poem. A co-worker of Mom’s had it framed for me. And I thought I still had it, but it’s nowhere to be found. From there, I went on to win a couple of essay contests sponsored by the school corporation, one in sixth grade and another in the seventh- or eighth-grade.

So, unlike my classmates, who wanted to be firefighters, doctors and lawyers, I wanted to be a writer. This was the one thing Mom didn’t support. “You’ll never make any money,” she told me over and over again. But I grew up and proved her wrong! I was in the newspaper business for more than 17 years and now I’m free-lancing. Granted the money isn’t a lot, but it’s money just the same.

In junior high, I took up the clarinet and eventually switched to the trumpet. And in high school, I picked up a camera and started shooting pictures. I also love going to the theater. I even appeared in a few plays myself.

Now, with the help of classical guitarist Esteban, I’m learning how to play the guitar. And once a week, I take a watercolor class and a drawing class while keeping a daily art journal.

So you see what I mean about being lost without the arts? Who would I be? What would I do with my time if I weren’t creating something or enjoying the creations of others?

• Deb Saine is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com.